Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 4.0Alden gets about 109 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 80° on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 64°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 92% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 68–80°.
A year in Alden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alden’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Alden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 155 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wales, NY, 12 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alden’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 109 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wales, NY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 159 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alden
95% 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 Wales, NY.
Living with Alden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
155 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 7 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 10.
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 Alden from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alden and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alden yet.
Climates most like Alden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alden, NY | 17° | 80° | 41" | 109" |
| Beachwood, OH | 19° | 82° | 42" | 114" |
| Grand Haven, MI | 19° | 81° | 36" | 87" |
| South Burlington, VT | 10° | 81° | 39" | 88" |
| North Adams, MA | 13° | 81° | 44" | 77" |
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 Alden averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Alden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alden’s place among New York’s.
Alden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wales, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 3.2" | 32.9" | 18 | 25 | 15° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 17° | 2.3" | 19.9" | 15 | 23 | 10° – 34° |
| March | 42° | 24° | 2.8" | 17.0" | 13 | 17 | 25° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 3.5" | 3.6" | 14 | 2 | 38° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 45° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| June | 76° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 41° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 32° | 3.5" | 9.1" | 13 | 6 | 33° – 46° |
| December | 37° | 24° | 3.5" | 26.6" | 17 | 20 | 21° – 42° |
| Year | 57° | 38° | 41.0" | 109.3" | 159 | 93 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 34°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Alden’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 Alden’s center.
- Snow: Wales, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wales, NY, 12 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher; 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 Alden’s climate
What is the weather like in Alden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 109 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alden in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 151 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Alden get?
About 109 inches in a normal winter at Wales, NY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 93 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alden?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 60°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Wales, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Alden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 155 frost-free days, at Wales, NY.
What growing zone is Alden in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alden?
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 Alden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alden.
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.