Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Packanack Lake gets more rain and snow than 80% of U.S. towns: 49 inches of precipitation a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 21°. Warming shows here too: 2.1° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Packanack Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Packanack Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Packanack Lake’s place in New Jersey beside it.
What a year in Packanack Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Little Falls, NJ, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Packanack Lake’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Canoe Brook, NJ, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Packanack Lake
84% 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 Little Falls, NJ.
Living with Packanack Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Packanack Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (82%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Packanack Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Packanack Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Packanack Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packanack Lake, NJ | 21° | 86° | 49" | 24" |
| Clarksburg, WV | 23° | 85° | 47" | 24" |
| Walton, KY | 23° | 86° | 47" | 23" |
| Delhi Hills, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
| North Vernon, IN | 23° | 86° | 48" | 17" |
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 Packanack Lake averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 94% 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 Packanack Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Packanack Lake’s place among New Jersey’s.
Packanack Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Packanack Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Canoe Brook, NJ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 21° | 3.5" | 5.8" | 10 | 8 | 21° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.7" | 8.4" | 8 | 8 | 20° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 4.0" | 4.6" | 10 | 5 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 3.9" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 55° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 55° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.7" | 0.7" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 49° |
| December | 43° | 27° | 4.3" | 4.1" | 10 | 4 | 28° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 48.8" | 24.0" | 123 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Packanack Lake’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 Packanack Lake’s center.
- Snow: Canoe Brook, NJ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Little Falls, NJ, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Packanack Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Packanack Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Packanack Lake in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Packanack Lake get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Canoe Brook, NJ, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Packanack Lake?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 22 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Little Falls, NJ).
When is the first and last frost in Packanack Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 195 frost-free days, at Little Falls, NJ.
What growing zone is Packanack Lake in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Packanack Lake?
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 Packanack Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Packanack Lake.
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.