July in Vale Summit stays fresher than in 87% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 20°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 62% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.1° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Homes need heating from November to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Vale Summit at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vale Summit’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vale Summit’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Vale Summit feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Frostburg 2, MD, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vale Summit’s center in zone 6b: 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 72 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Frostburg 2, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vale Summit
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Frostburg 2, MD.
Living with Vale Summit’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vale Summit from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vale Summit and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vale Summit yet.
Climates most like Vale Summit’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vale Summit, MD | 20° | 81° | 44" | 72" |
| Warren, PA | 17° | 81° | 45" | 72" |
| Warrensville Heights, OH | 20° | 82° | 41" | 64" |
| Lysander, NY | 16° | 81° | 43" | 79" |
| Newbury, MA | 18° | 81° | 48" | 62" |
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 Vale Summit averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Vale Summit compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vale Summit’s place among Maryland’s.
Vale Summit weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vale Summit’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Frostburg 2, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 20° | 3.1" | 19.0" | 15 | 21 | 19° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 21° | 2.8" | 19.0" | 13 | 19 | 19° – 39° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 3.7" | 14.9" | 13 | 12 | 32° – 48° |
| April | 61° | 37° | 4.0" | 1.8" | 14 | 1 | 44° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 58° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 3.3" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 2.9" | 4.0" | 11 | 3 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 3.4" | 13.0" | 13 | 14 | 22° – 42° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 44.0" | 72.1" | 153 | 70 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Vale Summit’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 Vale Summit’s center.
- Snow: Frostburg 2, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Frostburg 2, MD, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Vale Summit’s climate
What is the weather like in Vale Summit?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vale Summit in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 132 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Vale Summit get?
About 72 inches in a normal winter at Frostburg 2, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vale Summit?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Frostburg 2, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Vale Summit?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 171 frost-free days, at Frostburg 2, MD.
What growing zone is Vale Summit in?
Zone 6b 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 Vale Summit?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Vale Summit getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vale Summit.
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.