Precipitation in Cliffside Park tops that of 73% of U.S. towns: 48 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 25°. Its January nights stay gentler than in 64% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 2.2° higher. From April to June and September to October, highs of 62–81° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Cliffside Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cliffside Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cliffside Park’s place in New Jersey beside it.
What a year in Cliffside Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 236 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Central Park, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cliffside Park’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 8°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Central Park, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cliffside Park
79% 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 Central Park.
Living with Cliffside Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
236 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 30 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cliffside Park from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cliffside Park and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cliffside Park in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cliffside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffside Park, NJ | 25° | 86° | 48" | 30" |
| Charleston, WV | 25° | 87° | 46" | 32" |
| Ellicott City, MD | 24° | 87° | 47" | 29" |
| Independence, KY | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
| Amelia, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
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 Cliffside Park averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 97% 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 Cliffside Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cliffside Park’s place among New Jersey’s.
Cliffside Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cliffside Park’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Central Park. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 25° | 3.4" | 8.8" | 11 | 8 | 24° – 40° |
| February | 43° | 26° | 2.9" | 10.1" | 10 | 9 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 50° | 33° | 4.2" | 5.0" | 11 | 4 | 37° – 50° |
| April | 62° | 42° | 4.0" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 52° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 68° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| September | 77° | 59° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| November | 55° | 39° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 31° | 4.3" | 4.9" | 11 | 3 | 30° – 49° |
| Year | 63° | 46° | 47.5" | 29.8" | 125 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 49°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cliffside 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 Cliffside Park’s center.
- Snow: Central Park.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Central Park, 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 Cliffside Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Cliffside Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cliffside Park in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 67 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Cliffside Park get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Central Park, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cliffside Park?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 68°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Central Park).
When is the first and last frost in Cliffside Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 30 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 236 frost-free days, at Central Park.
What growing zone is Cliffside Park in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cliffside Park?
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 Cliffside Park getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cliffside 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.