No extremes in Potomac Park: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 23°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 66% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Potomac Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Potomac Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Potomac Park’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Potomac Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cumberland 2, MD, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Potomac Park’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cumberland 2, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 136 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Potomac Park
83% 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 Cumberland 2, MD.
Living with Potomac Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Potomac Park from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Potomac Park and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Potomac Park in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Potomac Park’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac Park, MD | 23° | 88° | 40" | 29" |
| Parkville, MO | 20° | 88° | 39" | 18" |
| Obetz, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 28" |
| Fort Wright, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
| Chatham, IL | 20° | 86° | 39" | 22" |
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 Potomac Park averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
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 Potomac Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Potomac Park’s place among Maryland’s.
Potomac Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Potomac Park’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cumberland 2, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 2.7" | 8.2" | 13 | 11 | 23° – 40° |
| February | 44° | 24° | 2.4" | 7.7" | 11 | 10 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 30° | 3.3" | 6.8" | 12 | 5 | 36° – 52° |
| April | 67° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 49° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 88° | 62° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 60° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 79° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| October | 68° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 2.6" | 0.5" | 9 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 3.0" | 5.4" | 11 | 7 | 25° – 45° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 39.9" | 28.7" | 136 | 33 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Potomac Park’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 Potomac Park’s center.
- Snow: Cumberland 2, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cumberland 2, MD, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower; 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 Potomac Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Potomac Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Potomac Park in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Potomac Park get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Cumberland 2, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 33 days a year.
How hot does it get in Potomac Park?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 62°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Cumberland 2, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Potomac Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 190 frost-free days, at Cumberland 2, MD.
What growing zone is Potomac Park in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Potomac Park?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Potomac Park 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 Potomac Park.
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.