Photo: Tysto · Public domainMidwinter lows in Syracuse sink below those of 75% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 83°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in February. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 68% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Syracuse at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Syracuse’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Syracuse’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Syracuse feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Goshen Muni Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Syracuse’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 Northern Indiana Wfo, IN, is heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 149 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Syracuse
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 Goshen Muni Airport.
Living with Syracuse’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Syracuse from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Syracuse and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Syracuse yet.
Climates most like Syracuse’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 47" |
| Ashland, OH | 19° | 83° | 39" | 49" |
| Taylor, PA | 18° | 83° | 40" | 45" |
| Southport, NY | 16° | 83° | 36" | 42" |
| Richmond, MI | 18° | 83° | 34" | 47" |
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 Syracuse averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Syracuse compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Syracuse’s place among Indiana’s.
Syracuse weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Syracuse’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Northern Indiana Wfo, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.4" | 14.6" | 14 | 17 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 20° | 2.0" | 14.9" | 13 | 16 | 14° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 2.3" | 5.1" | 12 | 5 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 3.7" | 0.9" | 14 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.8" | 3.7" | 11 | 2 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 2.4" | 8.1" | 14 | 10 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 38.0" | 47.3" | 149 | 49 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Syracuse’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 Syracuse’s center.
- Snow: Northern Indiana Wfo, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Goshen Muni Airport, 8 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 Syracuse’s climate
What is the weather like in Syracuse?
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 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Syracuse in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 130 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Syracuse get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Northern Indiana Wfo, IN, heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 49 days a year.
How hot does it get in Syracuse?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Goshen Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Syracuse?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 171 frost-free days, at Goshen Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Syracuse in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Syracuse?
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 Syracuse getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Syracuse.
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.