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Shaded-relief map of Ashland, Kentucky: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
KENTUCKY · BOYD COUNTY

Ashland

21,066 people, 560 ft above sea level in Boyd County.

560 ftElevation, city center
21,066People, 2024 estimate
11 sq miLand area
Sunny 46°
Sunny now Dew point 30° · WNW 7 mph · high 46°
City of Ashland River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Ashland plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Ashland

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 1:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Tri-State Airport (KHTS) · 1:51 PM
Sunny
46° Sunny Feels like 42° · high of 46° near 2 PM
WindWNW 7 mphno gusts
Humidity53%falling to 47% this afternoon
Pressure30.14 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 30° · Dry39° by Sunday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 120.25 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Boyd County
NWS Charleston and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 2:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:11 AM5:19 PM ↓
10 h 7 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
11
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
partly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
overcast
overcast
overcast
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
46°
36°
49°
30°
52°
28°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
9
6
5
3
3
5
6
6
5
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
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0
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 27 to 39° ↑ Humid air returns More humid: 37° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 57° / 37°
SAT Nov. 14 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
46° 36°
0% rain — WNW 9 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
51° 30°
0% rain — NW 6 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 28°
0% rain — NNE 1 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
59° 29°
0% rain — ENE 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Sunny Sunny
63° 30°
0% rain — E 5 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
66° 36°
0% rain — SSW 5 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
68° 37°
0% rain — E 5 B
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Ashland about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 2,100 miles back along its path. It rose from near the ground on the way. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific north of Hawaii. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1986 Nov. 14, 1986

The coldest this week has been

6° on Nov. 14, 1986, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1896. Next is 7° in 1996.

7°
6°
19961986
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Ashland record since 1896.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Ashland stands on

Ashland’s center stands about 560 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 510 ft to 870 ft, a difference of 360 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is High Knob, about 1,020 ft, 11 miles west-southwest.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Alluvium (sand, silt), from the Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 2.6 million years old.

The section below crosses 7 rock units mapped at the surface.

Ashland, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
600 ft800 ft ASHLAND560 ftWestwood650 ftHigh point of the line990 ftSymmes Creekabout 550 ft ← WE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 41×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Conemaugh Group

Shale, siltstone, mudstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 10 mi of the line.

Breathitt Formation, upper part

Sandstone, siltstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 5 mi of the line.

Breathitt Formation, middle part

Sandstone, shale. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Alluvium

Sand, silt. Age: Pleistocene to Holocene, less than 2.6 million years old. About 2 mi of the line.

Breathitt Formation, lower part

Shale, siltstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 1 mi of the line.

Monongahela Group

Shale, siltstone, mudstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 1 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale. 1 smaller unit along the line are not listed.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Ashland’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Ashland reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,620 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Ashland≈ 1,620 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF ASHLAND ≈ 1,620 mi to the Gulf of America Ohio → Mississippi

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Ashland; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Ashland’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1896 · Ashland, 2 mi southeast

Ashland has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 23° in January. About 47 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

40°23°45°24°54°31°67°41°75°51°82°61°86°65°84°63°78°56°67°43°54°32°44°27° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1 TODAY ASHLAND 46.7 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average86° / 65°high / low, the warmest month
January, average40° / 23°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year46.7 inwettest months: May and July
Hottest on record107°FJuly 28, 1930
Coldest on record−25°FJanuary 20, 1994
Wettest day on record5.61 inJuly 20, 1973
Snowiest day on record9.5 inJanuary 18, 1994
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Lows below freezingNov. 14 to March 20; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Ashland normally reaches 54° and falls to 32°. The record high is 79°, in 1931; the record low 6°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.22 in, fell in 2024.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high40°45°54°67°75°82°86°84°78°67°54°44°
Normal low23°24°31°41°51°61°65°63°56°43°32°27°
Rain, inches3.513.694.363.854.854.464.583.913.322.972.984.20
Record high80° (1950)80° (2002)92° (1929)94° (1925)106° (1996)103° (2012)107° (1930)105° (1999)101° (1953)93° (1941)85° (1961)82° (1982)
Record low−25° (1994)−23° (1996)−9° (2015)9° (1996)20° (1996)30° (1988)34° (1988)30° (1986)27° (1974)10° (1988)2° (1976)−18° (1989)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1896 at Ashland, 2 miles southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Ashland on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Huntington WV · 12 MI 12 miles east Portsmouth OH · 26 MI 26 miles northwest Lexington-Fayette urban county KY · 103 MI 103 miles west Columbus OH · 107 MI 107 miles north Cincinnati OH · 111 MI 111 miles northwest Louisville KY · 164 MI 164 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Ashland, Kentucky. Explore the plate
KENTUCKY · BOYD

Ashland

21,066 people, 560 ft above sea level in Boyd County.

560 ftElevation
21,066People
11 sq miLand
Sunny 46°
SunnyDew point 30°
1

Today in Ashland

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now partly cloudy day 46° 0%
5p partly cloudy night 46° 0%
8p mostly cloudy night 38° 0%
11p mostly cloudy night 36° 1%
2a mostly cloudy night 36° 1%
5a overcast 36° 3%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36
46
A
Sun0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
30
51
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
28
55
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
29
59
A
Wed0%
Sunny Sunny
30
63
B
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
66
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
68
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1986 · NOV. 14, 1986

6°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1896.

2

What Ashland stands on

Ashland’s center stands about 560 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 510 ft to 870 ft, a difference of 360 ft: rolling country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is High Knob, about 1,020 ft, 11 miles west-southwest.

Ashland, west to east Ashland560 ftSymmes Creekabout 550 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 78×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center560 ft
Within 3 miles510 to 870 ft
Lie of the landRolling (360 ft of relief)
High point nearbyHigh Knob, 1,020 ft, 11 mi west-southwest
Rock at the surfaceAlluvium
Its agePleistocene to Holocene, less than 2.6 million years old
5

Ashland’s year

Ashland has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 86° in July; winter nights fall to about 23° in January. About 47 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1 46.7 in
July, average86° / 65° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average40° / 23° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year46.7 in · wettest months: May and July
Hottest on record107°F · July 28, 1930
Coldest on record−25°F · January 20, 1994
Wettest day on record5.61 in · July 20, 1973
Snowiest day on record9.5 in · January 18, 1994
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Lows below freezing · Nov. 14 to March 20; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Ashland normally reaches 54° and falls to 32°. The record high is 79°, in 1931; the record low 6°, in 1986. The most rain on this date, 1.22 in, fell in 2024.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1896 at Ashland, 2 miles southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,620 mito the Gulf of AmericaOhio → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Ashland reaches the Gulf of America by way of the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,620 river miles.

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.