Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0Dale gets more rain and snow than 83% of U.S. towns: 50 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 87°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 64°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 64% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Dale at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dale’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dale’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Dale feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Saint Meinrad, IN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dale’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Saint Meinrad, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dale
76% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Saint Meinrad, IN.
Living with Dale’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
197 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dale from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dale and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dale yet.
Climates most like Dale’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale, IN | 24° | 87° | 50" | 8.3" |
| Plymouth Meeting, PA | 24° | 87° | 48" | 7.6" |
| Morehead, KY | 24° | 87° | 50" | 6.5" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
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 Dale averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Dale compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dale’s place among Indiana’s.
Dale weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dale’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Saint Meinrad, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 3.5" | 3.0" | 10 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 3.3" | 2.4" | 9 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 35° | 4.6" | 1.3" | 12 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 49° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 54° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 53° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 35° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 39° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 4.1" | 1.6" | 12 | 24° – 47° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 49.5" | 8.3" | 117 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Dale’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 Dale’s center.
- Snow: Saint Meinrad, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Saint Meinrad, IN, 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 Dale’s climate
What is the weather like in Dale?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dale in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 90 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 26°.
How much snow does Dale get?
About 8.3 inches in a normal winter at Saint Meinrad, IN, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Dale?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Saint Meinrad, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Dale?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 197 frost-free days, at Saint Meinrad, IN.
What growing zone is Dale in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dale?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dale getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dale.
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.