Point Pleasant is a strange place. Not just because of the 7-foot tall mothman statue in the middle of town, but because the Point Pleasant WV weather operates on a rhythm that feels almost personal. One day you're sweating through a linen shirt at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, and the next, a damp fog rolls off the Ohio River that chills you to the bone. It's moody. It’s inconsistent. Honestly, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a town with this much history.
Most people checking the forecast are just trying to figure out if they need a jacket for the Mothman Festival in September. But if you’re actually living here or planning a real trip, you've gotta look deeper than the "partly cloudy" icon on your phone. The interaction between the Kanawha and Ohio rivers creates a microclimate that can make the local humidity feel like a physical weight in July, yet leave the winters surprisingly crisp and dry.
The Reality of Point Pleasant WV Weather
Let's get the numbers out of the way first. January is usually the coldest month, where you'll see lows hovering around 21°F to 27°F. It’s not Antarctica, but that river wind? It bites. On the flip side, July brings the heat with average highs of 86°F or 87°F.
Don't let those mid-80s fool you.
The humidity here is the real story. Because the town sits right at the confluence of two major waterways, the "dew point" is often high enough to make a 75-degree morning feel like a sauna.
Why Spring is Actually Treacherous
May is statistically the wettest month in Point Pleasant. You’re looking at roughly 4 to 5 inches of rain on average. It’s a beautiful time when the West Virginia hills turn that neon, electric green, but it’s also when the Ohio River starts looking a little too high for comfort. Local history is defined by the river, and the weather is the river's boss.
💡 You might also like: Why the Nutty Putty Cave Seal is Permanent: What Most People Get Wrong About the John Jones Site
- March often teases you with 60-degree days before dumping three inches of slushy snow on your daffodils.
- April is the "mud month." The ground is saturated, and the sky is a permanent shade of Tupperware gray.
- May brings the thunderstorms. These aren't just little showers; they're the kind of rolling Appalachian boomers that make the dog hide under the bed.
Survival Tips for the Mothman Festival
If you're coming for the festival in mid-September, you're entering the best window for Point Pleasant WV weather. September is actually the clearest month of the year. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time.
But here is the catch: the temperature swing is massive.
You might start the morning at 55°F, needing a hoodie and a hot coffee from a local shop. By 2:00 PM, while you're standing in line for a Mothman taco, the sun is beating down, and it's 82°F with zero breeze. You’ll see tourists every year looking miserable because they wore heavy jeans and didn't bring water.
Pro tip: Layering isn't a suggestion here; it's a survival strategy.
The Winter Weirdness
Winters in Point Pleasant are shorter than they used to be, lasting about three months from December to late February. Snowfall is... well, it’s unpredictable. The town averages about 14 inches of snow a year. Some years you get a massive dumping of 10 inches in a single weekend, and other years it’s just a persistent, freezing drizzle that lasts until March.
📖 Related: Atlantic Puffin Fratercula Arctica: Why These Clown-Faced Birds Are Way Tougher Than They Look
January 2026 has been a perfect example. We saw a high of 67°F on January 9th, only to have it plummet to 17°F by the 16th. That’s a 50-degree swing in a week. If you're driving through the Ohio Valley during this time, keep an eye on the bridges. The Silver Memorial Bridge and others nearby will freeze way faster than the roads, and the river fog can drop visibility to near zero in minutes.
Severe Weather and the River
We can't talk about Point Pleasant without mentioning the "D" word: Derecho. While rare, these straight-line wind storms have historically ripped through the Ohio Valley with the force of a hurricane.
And then there's the flooding.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, VA, keeps a close eye on the gauges here. While the massive flood of 1913 is the one for the history books, modern Point Pleasant still deals with "backwater flooding." This is when the rivers get so high that the drainage systems can't empty out, and suddenly the street corners look like ponds.
Basically, if the forecast says "heavy rain" for three days straight, keep your car on high ground.
👉 See also: Madison WI to Denver: How to Actually Pull Off the Trip Without Losing Your Mind
Better Ways to Track the Skies
Don't just rely on the national apps. Local West Virginia stations like WSAZ or the NWS Charleston office provide much better context for how storms are going to break over the ridges before they hit the valley. The terrain here breaks up storm cells in weird ways—sometimes a storm will look terrifying on radar but split right before it hits town, leaving Point Pleasant bone dry while Gallipolis, Ohio gets hammered across the river.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Visit
If you're planning to spend any time outdoors in Mason County, keep these "boots on the ground" facts in mind:
- Footwear matters: If it’s rained in the last 48 hours, the trails at the McClintic Wildlife Management Area (the "TNT Area") will be a mud-fest. Wear waterproof boots.
- Sunscreen is a trap: You'll think you don't need it because it's "cloudy," but the reflection off the Ohio River will give you a nasty burn by lunchtime.
- Check the river stage: If you're boating or fishing, use the USGS gauges. A "nice day" can still have dangerous currents if it rained upstream in Pittsburgh two days ago.
- Fall is the sweet spot: If you want to see the town at its best, aim for the last week of October. The humidity is gone, the leaves are peak, and the air is crisp.
Point Pleasant is a place where the atmosphere always feels a little heavy—sometimes with humidity, sometimes with history. Understanding the Point Pleasant WV weather means accepting that the river is in charge, and the forecast is just a polite suggestion. Pack for three seasons regardless of when you visit, and you'll be fine.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
Check the current Ohio River water levels at the Point Pleasant gauge before heading to the docks, and if you're visiting the TNT area, download an offline map since the heavy tree cover and valley terrain can make cell signals as unreliable as a spring forecast.