Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Sykesville is close to most U.S. towns on every count
Midwinter brings lows of about 24°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 61% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.8° above 1901–2000. From April to June and September to October, highs of 65–82° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Sykesville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sykesville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sykesville’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Sykesville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Damascus 3 Ssw, MD, 16 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sykesville’s 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Columbia 2.3 N, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sykesville
83% 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 Damascus 3 Ssw, MD.
Living with Sykesville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sykesville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sykesville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sykesville yet.
Climates most like Sykesville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sykesville, MD | 24° | 86° | 45" | 29" |
| Alexandria, KY | 24° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Forestville, OH | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Tinton Falls, NJ | 24° | 86° | 48" | 29" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
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 Sykesville averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Sykesville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sykesville’s place among Maryland’s.
Sykesville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sykesville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Columbia 2.3 N, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 3.1" | 9.0" | 11 | 23° – 40° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 2.7" | 10.0" | 11 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 3.9" | 5.2" | 12 | 37° – 52° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 49° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 15 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 70° – 76° |
| September | 78° | 56° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 45° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 35° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 3.6" | 4.1" | 12 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 64° | 44° | 45.3" | 28.5" | 140 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sykesville’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 Sykesville’s center.
- Snow: Columbia 2.3 N, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Damascus 3 Ssw, MD, 16 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; 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 Sykesville’s climate
What is the weather like in Sykesville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sykesville in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 98 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Sykesville get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Columbia 2.3 N, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Sykesville?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Damascus 3 Ssw, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Sykesville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 196 frost-free days, at Damascus 3 Ssw, MD.
What growing zone is Sykesville 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 Sykesville?
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 Sykesville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sykesville.
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.