Photo: Publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Edinburgh is close to most U.S. towns on every count
On a normal January night the air cools to about 21°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in February. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 61% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from April to June and August to October, with highs of 65–84°.
A year in Edinburgh at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Edinburgh’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Edinburgh’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Edinburgh feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Franklin Wwtp, IN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Edinburgh’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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Columbus, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Edinburgh
87% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Franklin Wwtp, IN.
Living with Edinburgh’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Edinburgh from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Edinburgh and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Edinburgh yet.
Climates most like Edinburgh’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh, IN | 21° | 85° | 45" | 16" |
| Moundsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 43" | 16" |
| Marietta, OH | 23° | 86° | 44" | 16" |
| Hicksville, NY | 24° | 85° | 45" | 19" |
| Lititz, PA | 22° | 86° | 45" | 21" |
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 Edinburgh averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Edinburgh compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Edinburgh’s place among Indiana’s.
Edinburgh weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Edinburgh’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Columbus, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 3.2" | 5.9" | 11 | 7 | 21° – 40° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.7" | 4.5" | 9 | 6 | 21° – 43° |
| March | 52° | 33° | 3.6" | 1.8" | 12 | 2 | 35° – 56° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 41° | 26° | 3.3" | 4.0" | 11 | 5 | 21° – 43° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 45.2" | 16.3" | 123 | 19 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Edinburgh’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 Edinburgh’s center.
- Snow: Columbus, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Franklin Wwtp, 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 Edinburgh’s climate
What is the weather like in Edinburgh?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Edinburgh in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Edinburgh get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Columbus, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 19 days a year.
How hot does it get in Edinburgh?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Franklin Wwtp, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Edinburgh?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 180 frost-free days, at Franklin Wwtp, IN.
What growing zone is Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Edinburgh getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Edinburgh.
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.