West Virginia Annual Temperatures and Extremes

City

Avg High Temp

Avg Low Temp 

Avg Annual Temp

 Avg # days > 90F Avg # days < 32F  Record High Temp Record Low Temp
Beckley 60.9 41.8 51.3 1 112 96 / 1988 -22 / 1985
Charleston 66.0 42.7 54.4 17 115 99 / 1999 -5 / 2000
Elkins 61.7 38.2 50.0 3 141 99 / 1988 -24 / 1984
Huntington 65.4 45.2 55.3 21 94 102 / 1988 -21 / 1994
  • West Virginia's annual average temperature - 51.74 degrees, 24th warmest state in the U.S.
  • Record Hottest year in West Virginia - 1921 / Avg temperature 54.65 degrees
  • Record Coldest year in West Virginia - 1917 / Avg temperature 49.04 degrees
  • West Virginia average Summer temperature (June, July, August)  70.2 F degrees, 28th warmest U.S. summer state

West Virginia's Temperature Records 

  • Hottest temperature ever recorded: 112 F, Martinsburg, eastern West Virginia, 7/10/1936
  • Coldest temperature ever recorded: -37 F, Lewisburg, southeastern West Virginia, 12/30/1917
  • Hottest location ranked by highest average annual temperature: Williamson, southwestern West Virginia, 56.9 F
  • Coldest location ranked by lowest average annual temperature: Snowshoe, eastern West Virginia, 43.4 F
  • 1990 was the hottest year on record in Charleston, West Virginia with an average annual temperature of 58.4 F
    Nineteen daily high temperature records were broken during the year.

There is about as much temperature contrast across West Virginia from east to west as there is in twice the distance from north to south. This condition prevails throughout the year, though it varies in magnitude with the seasons and cannot be expected to hold every day. Here the general effect of the topography is clear: locations in the mountainous belt, regardless of their latitude, tend to have lower temperatures than those in the rest of the State and combined with their average winter minimum temperatures range from the low 20s (Fahrenheit) in the mountains of Central and Northeastern parts of the State, to near 30 in the extreme southern and southwestern portions of the State., while winter annual maximums range from 40 in the mountains to 45° F in the southern portions of the State. Extremely cold temperatures are possible with several of the mountain based stations having record low temperatures in the -30s. The coldest temperature ever recorded in West Virginia was -37° F.

Spring and autumn mean temperatures average in the 50s, with similar geographical variations. The average date of the last freezing temperature in spring ranges from mid-April in the southwest to mid-May in the mountains; the first occurrence of 32° F in the fall varies from late September to late October.

Despite what has been said about the coolness of the mountains, they can on occasion be as hot as any other part of West Virginia. Temperatures of nearly or over 100° F have been recorded at all observing stations in the State, up to 112° F at Martinsburg. On the average, however, summer temperatures range between 79 and 85 depending on latitude and elevation.

 

West Virginia precipitation averages and extremes, precipitation and temperature extremes for all U.S. states and Top 10 U.S. climate extremes
Data source: National Climatic Data Center