Lexington, Kentucky Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Lexington weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:22 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast later19%—88°67°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast21%—71°63°-17°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle18%—75°63°+4°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle——71°59°-4°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——76°54°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——77°47°+1°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——80°61°+3°
Air quality now AQI 49 · Good
AQI 49 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI projected to climb to 69 over the next 6 hours. PM2.5 at 8.8 µg/m³ (AQI 49) with a 0.99 fine-to-coarse ratio and 5 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 8 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 34 now. With UV 2.8 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 13.
- Present
- AQI 34
- UV peak
- 2.8 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 13
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.8 µg/m³ (AQI 49) with a 0.99 fine-to-coarse ratio and 5 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.99
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 5:04 PM
- Moonset
- 2:04 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Lexington at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 78°F (high 88°F, low 67°F), 11°F above the 67°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 13 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 13 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Lexington
- Mon88°67°19%
- Tue71°63°21%
- Wed75°63°18%
- Thu71°59°5%
- Fri76°54°1%
- Sat77°47°2%
- Sun80°61°2%
- Mon80°59°7%
- Tue85°62°19%
- Wed84°64°24%
- Thu81°57°11%
- Fri85°55°20%
- Sat87°61°17%
- Sun69°58°13%
- Mon60°47°19%
- Tue62°39°26%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Lexington
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Lexington — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 28) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Lexington
SPC has placed Lexington in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Lexington
Lexington sits in Fayette County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 48m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 31m — a swing of +5h 17m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Louisville, the state’s largest city, lies about 65 miles to the W. The nearest town Lexington tracks is Louisville, roughly 65 miles to the W.
Air quality in Lexington
Air quality in Lexington’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 40). See the full air-quality history for Lexington.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Lexington's warmest month is July (~77°F mean) and its coldest is January (~34°F). Rainfall peaks in May (5.4 inches) and bottoms out in November (3.4 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 3.4″ | 7 |
| February | 38° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| March | 46° | 4.5″ | 8 |
| April | 56° | 4.4″ | 8 |
| May | 65° | 5.4″ | 9 |
| June | 73° | 5.0″ | 8 |
| July | 77° | 5.1″ | 8 |
| August | 76° | 3.7″ | 7 |
| September | 69° | 3.4″ | 5 |
| October | 58° | 3.7″ | 6 |
| November | 46° | 3.4″ | 6 |
| December | 38° | 4.2″ | 8 |
Regional context
Similar climates Nicholasville, KY, Keene, KY, Georgetown, KY
Lexington swings from 34°F in January to 77°F in July (43°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Lexington runs about 49.8 inches on roughly 84 measurable days.
Rainfall in Lexington splits evenly between the seasons: May tops out at 5.4 inches over 8.6 rainy days, and November logs 3.4 inches across 6.1 — neither half of Lexington's year dominates. That lines Lexington up with places like Nicholasville, KY, Keene, KY and Georgetown, KY, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
Around April 13, Lexington sheds its freezing nights — peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes go into Lexington's beds. Lexington's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Lexington's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. The season ends by October 28 in Lexington, once hard frosts set back in. Open lawns in Lexington whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Nicholasville, KY, Keene, KY, Georgetown, KY, Midway, KY, Versailles, KY.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Lexington?
- In Lexington, expect the last spring frost near April 13; Lexington's first autumn frost comes around October 28.
- What is the rainy season in Lexington?
- May is the wettest month in Lexington, about 5.4 inches on average; the year totals roughly 50 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Lexington?
- July is Lexington's warmest month, averaging about 77°F.
- What is the coldest month in Lexington?
- Lexington bottoms out in January, with a mean near 34°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Lexington?
- Lexington's last frost (April 13) cues hardy greens; in Lexington, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Lexington get?
- Lexington records around 84 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Lexington?
- Lexington's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 34°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Lexington?
- Lexington's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Lexington?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Lexington in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Lexington?
- Current conditions for Lexington and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Lexington forecast updated?
- The Lexington forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Lexington?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Lexington are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Lexington?
- The next few days in Lexington's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Lexington sits at 38.0°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Lexington
- 40502
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