Sail Harbor gets more rain and snow than 80% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
January nights here settle around 17°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 74% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Sail Harbor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sail Harbor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sail Harbor’s place in Connecticut beside it.
What a year in Sail Harbor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Danbury, CT, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sail Harbor’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Woodbury, CT, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sail Harbor
87% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Danbury, CT.
Living with Sail Harbor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 20 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sail Harbor from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sail Harbor and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sail Harbor yet.
Climates most like Sail Harbor’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sail Harbor, CT | 17° | 83° | 49" | 47" |
| Topsfield, MA | 18° | 82° | 47" | 48" |
| Indiana, PA | 19° | 83° | 46" | 46" |
| Exeter, NH | 16° | 82° | 47" | 57" |
| South Berwick, ME | 14° | 82° | 48" | 56" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sail Harbor averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 75% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Sail Harbor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sail Harbor’s place among Connecticut’s.
Sail Harbor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sail Harbor’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Woodbury, CT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 17° | 3.4" | 11.3" | 12 | 15 | 17° – 34° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 2.9" | 13.7" | 10 | 15 | 16° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 26° | 4.0" | 10.3" | 12 | 9 | 31° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 4.0" | 1.4" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 52° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 3.8" | 1.5" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 45° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 4.1" | 8.6" | 11 | 9 | 25° – 43° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 48.9" | 46.8" | 125 | 49 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sail Harbor’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Sail Harbor’s center.
- Snow: Woodbury, CT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Danbury, CT, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Sail Harbor’s climate
What is the weather like in Sail Harbor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sail Harbor in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 126 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Sail Harbor get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Woodbury, CT, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 49 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sail Harbor?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Danbury, CT).
When is the first and last frost in Sail Harbor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 181 frost-free days, at Danbury, CT.
What growing zone is Sail Harbor in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sail Harbor?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sail Harbor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sail Harbor.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.