Cincinnati sits on Ohioâs border with Kentucky between two climatic zones: humid subtropical and himid continental. It receives all four seasons and plentiful precipitation throughout the year. A relatively large annual temperature range makes the seasons highly distinct; baking summers and snowy winters are the norm.
Summer, from June till September, sees average high temperatures around 30°C in the first three months, cooling to 26°C in September. The heat can reach into the 30s and high humidity can make even moderate temperatures a bit sticky for comfort. Night times are mild in the fringes of the season but are pretty hot and stuffy in the peak months. The average low temperature sits around 19°C in July and August. Rainfall is high and usually falls in heavy storms that can cause flash flooding. Due to the high humidity, thunderstorms are common. However, it only rains on around ten days per month and sun is the dominant theme of the season. Cincinnati receives an average of eight or nine hours of sunshine per day throughout the summer.
Autumn, in October and November, starts out mild but rapidly cools and rainfall decreases as the season progresses. The average high temperature falls to 19°C in October and 13°C in November. The average low, at night, drops to a chilly 7°C in October and then to 2°C in November. This is the driest time of year, though rainfall is still quite common, and sunshine levels arenât bad at all, getting down six hours per day in October and four hours per day in November. While there will be some cold grey days there will be plenty of sunny weather in which to enjoy the autumn colours.
Winter, from December till February, is pretty cold and snowy. January is the coldest month with and average high temperature of 3°C and an average low of -7°C. December and February are a little warmer with a range of -5°C to 6°C. These average temperatures donât quite tell the full story â" Cincinnati quite often sees temperatures around -18°C. Winter months usually receive around 51cm of snow. It can be a bit gloomy and grey at times as clouds linger and sunshine levels drop to an average of four hours per day in December and February, and three hours per day in January. Remember though, London gets a whopping one hour of sunshine per day around Christmas so donât be too put off by this.
Spring, from March till May, brings dramatic change with the snow melting and the temperatures shooting back up. The average high climbs to 12°C in March, 19°C in April and 24°C in May â" temperatures in the 20s are common from the middle the season. It is still cool at night; the average low creeps to 1°C in March, 6°C in April and 11°C in May. The grey skies retreat and the sun comes out for longer and longer, though rainfall increases; it falls on around twelve days each month.