Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Fish Lake each January, colder than in 75% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 83°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 66°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 69% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Fish Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fish Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fish Lake’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Fish Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 191 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Laporte, IN, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fish Lake’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kingsbury 1n, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 144 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fish Lake
89% 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 Laporte, IN.
Living with Fish Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
191 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 27.
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 Fish Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fish Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fish Lake yet.
Climates most like Fish Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Lake, IN | 17° | 83° | 40" | 42" |
| Taylor, PA | 18° | 83° | 40" | 45" |
| Mount Vernon, OH | 19° | 84° | 41" | 42" |
| Owego, NY | 16° | 82° | 40" | 49" |
| Weirton, WV | 21° | 84° | 41" | 44" |
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 Fish Lake averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Fish Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fish Lake’s place among Indiana’s.
Fish Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fish Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingsbury 1n, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.6" | 13.8" | 13 | 19 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 20° | 2.1" | 9.4" | 10 | 17 | 15° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 2.4" | 5.1" | 12 | 6 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.9" | 1.3" | 12 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 2.5" | 11.3" | 12 | 13 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 40.0" | 41.7" | 144 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 52°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fish Lake’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 Fish Lake’s center.
- Snow: Kingsbury 1n, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Laporte, IN, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Fish Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Fish Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fish Lake in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Fish Lake get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Kingsbury 1n, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fish Lake?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Laporte, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Fish Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 191 frost-free days, at Laporte, IN.
What growing zone is Fish Lake in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fish Lake?
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 Fish Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fish Lake.
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.