Ward Township District No. 5 School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainThe climate in Ward Township sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 84°. Its January nights bite harder than in 65% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 20, with the first autumn frost due around October 21.
A year in Ward Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ward Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ward Township’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Ward Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Winchester Airport 3 E, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ward Township’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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ridgeville 3 Sse, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ward Township
88% 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 Winchester Airport 3 E.
Living with Ward Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 21.
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 Ward Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ward Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ward Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ward Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward Township, IN | 19° | 84° | 41" | 25" |
| Struthers, OH | 19° | 84° | 41" | 28" |
| New Castle, PA | 20° | 84° | 42" | 28" |
| Sauk Village, IL | 17° | 84° | 39" | 28" |
| Claverack, NY | 16° | 84° | 42" | 31" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Ward Township averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Ward Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ward Township’s place among Indiana’s.
Ward Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ward Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ridgeville 3 Sse, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 19° | 2.7" | 7.2" | 12 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 38° | 22° | 2.3" | 6.4" | 10 | 17° – 41° |
| March | 49° | 30° | 3.2" | 4.3" | 11 | 33° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 4.0" | 0.5" | 11 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 65° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 8 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 33° | 3.2" | 0.9" | 9 | 34° – 48° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 2.7" | 5.7" | 11 | 18° – 42° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 40.5" | 25.1" | 116 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ward Township’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 Ward Township’s center.
- Snow: Ridgeville 3 Sse, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Winchester Airport 3 E, 7 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 Ward Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Ward Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ward Township in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 124 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 18°.
How much snow does Ward Township get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Ridgeville 3 Sse, IN, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Ward Township?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Winchester Airport 3 E).
When is the first and last frost in Ward Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 183 frost-free days, at Winchester Airport 3 E.
What growing zone is Ward Township 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 Ward Township?
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 Ward Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ward Township.
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.