Hooper Island Light Station · Photo: Brigantine~enwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0For weather, Fishing Creek is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
In January the night’s low is typically 28°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 70% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.6° rise. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from April to June and September to October, with highs of 66–83°.
A year in Fishing Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fishing Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fishing Creek’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Fishing Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 230 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Patuxent River Nas, MD, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fishing Creek’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Patuxent River Nas, MD, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fishing Creek
72% 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 Patuxent River Nas, MD.
Living with Fishing Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
230 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fishing Creek from natural hazards, coastal flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fishing Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fishing Creek yet.
Climates most like Fishing Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Creek, MD | 28° | 88° | 45" | 13" |
| Vinton, VA | 27° | 88° | 45" | 15" |
| Johnson City, TN | 27° | 87° | 46" | 9.2" |
| St. Albans, WV | 25° | 87° | 45" | 11" |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 29° | 88° | 45" | 7.1" |
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 Fishing Creek averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Fishing Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fishing Creek’s place among Maryland’s.
Fishing Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fishing Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Patuxent River Nas, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 3.1" | 3.9" | 10 | 2 | 29° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 29° | 2.7" | 6.0" | 9 | 3 | 28° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 36° | 4.0" | 1.3" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| April | 66° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 70° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 86° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 40° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| December | 49° | 32° | 3.7" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 67° | 48° | 44.8" | 12.5" | 118 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fishing Creek’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 Fishing Creek’s center.
- Snow: Patuxent River Nas, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Patuxent River Nas, MD, 11 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 Fishing Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Fishing Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fishing Creek in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Fishing Creek get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Patuxent River Nas, MD, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fishing Creek?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 70°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Patuxent River Nas, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Fishing Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 15, about 230 frost-free days, at Patuxent River Nas, MD.
What growing zone is Fishing Creek in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fishing Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fishing Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fishing Creek.
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.