Paradise Manor · Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0No extremes in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 23°. September is the wettest month, February the driest. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 61% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 209 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hagerstown Washington Co Airport, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills
79% of the work is heating. 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 Hagerstown Washington Co Airport.
Living with Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 7 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 3.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fountainhead-Orchard Hills and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fountainhead-Orchard Hills in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountainhead-Orchard Hills, MD | 23° | 87° | 40" | 31" |
| Obetz, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 28" |
| Fort Wright, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
| Chatham, IL | 20° | 86° | 39" | 22" |
| South Charleston, WV | 25° | 87° | 46" | 32" |
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 Fountainhead-Orchard Hills averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger 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 Fountainhead-Orchard Hills compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ place among Maryland’s.
Fountainhead-Orchard Hills weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 2.8" | 10.0" | 10 | 11 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 44° | 24° | 2.2" | 8.0" | 9 | 11 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 3.3" | 6.0" | 10 | 5 | 37° – 51° |
| April | 65° | 41° | 3.5" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 87° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 2.9" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 50° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.3" | 5.5" | 9 | 5 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 40.2" | 30.8" | 117 | 31 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 42°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ 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 Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ center.
- Snow: Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hagerstown Washington Co Airport, 1.6 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 Fountainhead-Orchard Hills’ climate
What is the weather like in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 93 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Fountainhead-Orchard Hills get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 64°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Hagerstown Washington Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 209 frost-free days, at Hagerstown Washington Co Airport.
What growing zone is Fountainhead-Orchard Hills in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fountainhead-Orchard Hills?
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 Fountainhead-Orchard Hills getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fountainhead-Orchard Hills.
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.