St. Martins Church · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 3.0Ocean Pines’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ocean Pines at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ocean Pines’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ocean Pines’ place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Ocean Pines 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 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ocean City Muni Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ocean Pines’ center in zone 7b: 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Snow Hill 4 N, MD, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 113 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ocean Pines
80% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Ocean City Muni Airport.
Living with Ocean Pines’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7b. 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ocean Pines from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ocean Pines and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ocean Pines yet.
Climates most like Ocean Pines’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Pines, MD | 30° | 86° | 46" | 10" |
| Jonesborough, TN | 28° | 86° | 47" | 9.2" |
| Woodfin, NC | 27° | 85° | 46" | 12" |
| Bedford, VA | 27° | 87° | 46" | 12" |
| Huntington, WV | 25° | 87° | 46" | 10" |
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 Ocean Pines averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 84% 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 Ocean Pines compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ocean Pines’ place among Maryland’s.
Ocean Pines weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ocean Pines’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Snow Hill 4 N, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 30° | 3.5" | 2.8" | 10 | 2 | 32° – 44° |
| February | 47° | 31° | 3.1" | 3.6" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 53° | 37° | 4.2" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 53° |
| April | 63° | 45° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| May | 72° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 69° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 85° | 68° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 51° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 50° | 34° | 3.9" | 2.5" | 10 | 2 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 66° | 49° | 46.0" | 10.2" | 113 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Ocean Pines’ 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 Ocean Pines’ center.
- Snow: Snow Hill 4 N, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ocean City Muni Airport, 5 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 Ocean Pines’ climate
What is the weather like in Ocean Pines?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ocean Pines in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 81 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Ocean Pines get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Snow Hill 4 N, MD, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ocean Pines?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 69°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Ocean City Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ocean Pines?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 209 frost-free days, at Ocean City Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Ocean Pines in?
Zone 7b 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 Ocean Pines?
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 Ocean Pines getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ocean Pines.
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.