Photo: Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0Summers in Highland Lakes are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 17°. Temperatures cover 63° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 78% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 25; autumn frost returns near October 17.
A year in Highland Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highland Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highland Lakes’ place in New Jersey beside it.
What a year in Highland Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Charlotteburg Reservoir, NJ, 10 miles from the town’s center, 460 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highland Lakes’ 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Oak Ridge Reservoir, NJ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Highland Lakes
91% 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 Charlotteburg Reservoir, NJ.
Living with Highland Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 3.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highland Lakes from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 38%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Highland Lakes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Highland Lakes yet.
Climates most like Highland Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Lakes, NJ | 17° | 81° | 49" | 28" |
| Punxsutawney, PA | 17° | 82° | 45" | 35" |
| Durham, NH | 16° | 81° | 47" | 39" |
| Lynn, MA | 20° | 81° | 48" | 39" |
| Kingston, RI | 21° | 82° | 48" | 35" |
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 Highland Lakes averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 87% 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 Highland Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highland Lakes’ place among New Jersey’s.
Highland Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highland Lakes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Oak Ridge Reservoir, NJ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 17° | 3.6" | 9.6" | 11 | 17° – 33° |
| February | 37° | 19° | 2.7" | 7.7" | 9 | 14° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 26° | 4.0" | 5.3" | 11 | 28° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 36° | 3.8" | 1.4" | 10 | 42° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 76° | 55° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 63° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 59° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 53° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 42° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 32° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 8 | 35° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 24° | 4.2" | 3.9" | 11 | 24° – 41° |
| Year | 58° | 39° | 48.5" | 28.1" | 115 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Highland Lakes’ 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 Highland Lakes’ center.
- Snow: Oak Ridge Reservoir, NJ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Charlotteburg Reservoir, NJ, 10 miles from the town’s center, 460 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 Highland Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Highland Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highland Lakes in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 138 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 17°.
How much snow does Highland Lakes get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Oak Ridge Reservoir, NJ, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Highland Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Charlotteburg Reservoir, NJ).
When is the first and last frost in Highland Lakes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 174 frost-free days, at Charlotteburg Reservoir, NJ.
What growing zone is Highland Lakes 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 Highland Lakes?
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 Highland Lakes getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Highland Lakes.
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.