Photo: J · CC BY-SA 4.0Ridgewood gets more rain and snow than 76% of U.S. towns: 48 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 22°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 64° apart. The outdoor season runs from April to June and September to October, with highs of 62–81°.
A year in Ridgewood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ridgewood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ridgewood’s place in New Jersey beside it.
What a year in Ridgewood 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, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ridgewood’s center in zone 7a: 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dobbs Ferry-ardsley, NY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ridgewood
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 Ridgewood’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: April, May, June, September and October. 7.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ridgewood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (84%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ridgewood and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ridgewood in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ridgewood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewood, NJ | 22° | 86° | 48" | 33" |
| Reisterstown, MD | 23° | 86° | 48" | 34" |
| Gettysburg, PA | 22° | 87° | 45" | 27" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
| Walton, KY | 23° | 86° | 47" | 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 Ridgewood averaged 2.2° 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 Ridgewood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ridgewood’s place among New Jersey’s.
Ridgewood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ridgewood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dobbs Ferry-ardsley, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.3" | 9.4" | 11 | 13 | 21° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.8" | 10.9" | 9 | 13 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 31° | 4.0" | 5.8" | 11 | 7 | 35° – 50° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 4.0" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 45° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 35° | 3.7" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 28° | 4.2" | 5.6" | 11 | 7 | 29° – 47° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 48.0" | 32.7" | 124 | 39 |
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 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Ridgewood’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 Ridgewood’s center.
- Snow: Dobbs Ferry-ardsley, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Little Falls, NJ, 9 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 Ridgewood’s climate
What is the weather like in Ridgewood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ridgewood in winter?
January nights average 22°. 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 Ridgewood get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Dobbs Ferry-ardsley, NY, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 39 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ridgewood?
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 Ridgewood?
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 Ridgewood in?
Zone 7a 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 Ridgewood?
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 Ridgewood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.2° 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 Ridgewood.
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.