Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Ashland United States

In Ashland, the summers are warm, humid, and wet; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 17°F to 88°F and is rarely below -0°F or above 97°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Ashland for warm-weather activities is from early June to mid September.

The hot season lasts for 3.8 months, from May 25 to September 18, with an average daily high temperature above 77°F. The hottest month of the year in Ashland is July, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 26 to February 27, with an average daily high temperature below 45°F. The coldest month of the year in Ashland is January, with an average low of 18°F and high of 35°F.

In Ashland, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Ashland begins around June 5 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around October 26.

The clearest month of the year in Ashland is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 72% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 26 and lasts for 7.3 months, ending around June 5.

The cloudiest month of the year in Ashland is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 50% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Ashland varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from April 9 to September 30, with a greater than 24% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Ashland is June, with an average of 12.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.3 months, from September 30 to April 9. The month with the fewest wet days in Ashland is January, with an average of 2.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Ashland changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 10 months, from February 13 to December 16. The month with the most days of rain alone in Ashland is June, with an average of 12.0 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.9 months, from December 16 to February 13. The month with the most days of snow alone in Ashland is January, with an average of 1.3 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Ashland experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 18 to December 17, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Ashland is June, with an average rainfall of 4.2 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from December 17 to February 18. The month with the least rain in Ashland is January, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Ashland experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.5 months, from November 10 to March 25, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Ashland is December, with an average snowfall of 3.0 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from March 25 to November 10. The least snow falls around July 16, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Ashland varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 13 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 8 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:52 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 6 minutes later at 7:58 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:56 PM on December 8, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 5 minutes later at 9:01 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Ashland during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Ashland experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from June 2 to September 15, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 14% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Ashland is July, with 16.7 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 10, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Ashland experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from October 8 to May 26, with average wind speeds of more than 10.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Ashland is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.4 months, from May 26 to October 8. The calmest month of the year in Ashland is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.9 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Ashland varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 6.7 months, from April 21 to November 11, with a peak percentage of 50% on July 4. The wind is most often from the north for 5.3 months, from November 11 to April 21, with a peak percentage of 38% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ashland throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashland for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashland for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Ashland typically lasts for 6.0 months (181 days), from around April 15 to around October 13, rarely starting before March 27 or after May 2, and rarely ending before September 22 or after November 2.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Ashland should appear around March 31, only rarely appearing before March 18 or after April 20.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from April 30 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.1 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Ashland is July, with an average of 7.0 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from November 1 to February 9, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Ashland is December, with an average of 2.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ashland are 41.039 deg latitude, -96.368 deg longitude, and 1,086 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Ashland contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 200 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,102 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (322 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (804 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Ashland is covered by cropland (81%) and artificial surfaces (11%), within 10 miles by cropland (90%), and within 50 miles by cropland (84%).