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Lexington-Fayette weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Lexington-Fayette swings through a wide annual range, with 42.9°F between the monthly means of its warmest and coldest months. No season stands out as markedly wetter. Precipitation arrives fairly evenly year-round. Lexington-Fayette weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+4.1°Fhigh above average

69° / 41°Today
65° / 45°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.1°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4963frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 88 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 88 in the 1940s48days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 37 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 37 in the 1940s+3.1°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 3.8 incheshigh 41°low 27°February, rain 4.0 incheshigh 46°low 29°March, rain 4.7 incheshigh 55°low 37°April, rain 4.5 incheshigh 66°low 46°May, rain 4.5 incheshigh 74°low 56°June, rain 3.9 incheshigh 83°low 64°July, rain 4.1 incheshigh 86°low 68°August, rain 3.2 incheshigh 85°low 66°September, rain 3.3 incheshigh 79°low 59°October, rain 2.9 incheshigh 68°low 48°November, rain 3.7 incheshigh 55°low 38°December, rain 4.2 incheshigh 45°low 31°wettest month March, 4.7 inches · 46.9 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

43.3°

39°feels like
79%humidity
37°dew point
2 mphfrom E
UV index0.0
sunrise07:51sunset18:53day length11h 02m
TodayClear69°41°
WedClear71°40°
ThuClear71°46°
FriClear71°45°
SatClear73°46°
SunOvercast73°49°
MonOvercast72°50°

On this date: October 20

Today (forecast)
69° / 41°
Average for October 20
65° / 45°

High above average · +4.1°F

  • Highest since 1940: 83.8° · 1953
  • Lowest since 1940: 27.7° · 1972
  • One year ago: 64° / 41°

Every October 20 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 20 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Lexington-Fayette is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 38.05°N, 84.46°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
38.05°N, 84.46°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

24 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +3.8°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 85.6°F and nights around 67.9°F. In a typical recent year, around 50 days reach 86°F or more. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 41.4°F and typical overnight lows of 26.7°F.

The yearly total for Lexington-Fayette comes to about 46.9 inches; monthly amounts range from 2.9 inches in October up to 4.7 inches in March.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Lexington-Fayette has climbed 3.1°F from the first ten years to the last ten. Frost days have thinned out, from around 90 a year in the first decade to about 65 now.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 43°F. Wettest month: March (~4.7 in). Whole year averages ~46.9 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 110 rainy days a year: most in May (~11), fewest in October (~7).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Lexington-Fayette month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January41.4°26.7°3.8 in99.6 h74.5° (1950)−20.8° (1994)
February45.9°29.2°4.0 in910.6 h79.1° (2018)−15.3° (2015)
March55.3°36.8°4.7 in1111.7 h83.1° (2012)−11.0° (1980)
April66.0°46.4°4.5 in1013.0 h87.0° (1976)21.4° (1982)
May74.5°55.7°4.5 in1114.1 h91.8° (1962)31.2° (1966)
June82.5°64.2°3.9 in1014.6 h104.3° (2012)42.8° (1972)
July85.6°67.9°4.1 in1114.4 h103.2° (1954)49.2° (1947)
August84.7°66.3°3.2 in913.5 h100.9° (1988)45.7° (1986)
September78.6°59.4°3.3 in712.2 h101.3° (1953)36.7° (1965)
October67.6°48.1°2.9 in711.0 h94.1° (2019)23.8° (1981)
November54.8°38.5°3.7 in89.9 h81.0° (2016)0.2° (1976)
December45.0°30.9°4.2 in99.4 h74.7° (1982)−21.1° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.1°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.33°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.50°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 37.3 early in the record → 47.8 recently. Frost days: 88 → 63.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 2012, coldest in 1989: 104.3°F / −21.1°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~46.9 in/year on average. Last decade: +16% vs that average. Long-term trend: +1.22 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Lexington-Fayette

Which is the warmest month in Lexington-Fayette?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Lexington-Fayette is July (mean daily temperature of about 75.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 33.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Lexington-Fayette compare to the historical average?
On October 20, 2026, Lexington-Fayette is forecast to reach a high of 68.9°F and a low of 41.0°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 64.8°F and a low of 45.1°F, so today's high is 4.1°F warmer than that average.
How much has Lexington-Fayette warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Lexington-Fayette is about 3.1°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Lexington-Fayette?
Lexington-Fayette receives about 46.9 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with March typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Lexington-Fayette?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Lexington-Fayette is about 55.4°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Lexington-Fayette by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Lexington-Fayette (°F, full record since 1940): January 41°/27°, February 46°/29°, March 55°/37°, April 66°/46°, May 74°/56°, June 83°/64°, July 86°/68°, August 85°/66°, September 79°/59°, October 68°/48°, November 55°/38°, December 45°/31°.
What is the weather like in Lexington-Fayette in summer?
In summer, June through August, Lexington-Fayette is warm. Daytime highs sit at 83–86°F and nights at 64–68°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.7 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Lexington-Fayette in winter?
In winter, December through February, Lexington-Fayette is wet and cold. Afternoons run 41–46°F and nights 27–31°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 9 days a month, adding up to around 4.0 inches.
What is the weather like in Lexington-Fayette in spring?
Spring in Lexington-Fayette (March to May) is wet and mild. It warms from 55°F by day and 37°F at night in March to 74°F and 56°F in May. Rain is steady at around 4.6 inches a month, spread over roughly 11 days.
What is the weather like in Lexington-Fayette in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Lexington-Fayette, and it is mild. September is still 79°F by day and 59°F at night; by November it is down to 55°F and 38°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 3.3 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Lexington-Fayette?
On long-term average, Lexington-Fayette has about 110 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 46.9 inches.

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