Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0July in Clifton Springs stays fresher than in 88% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 17°. A year here swings 64° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 76% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 30 to October 21.
A year in Clifton Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clifton Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clifton Springs’ place in New York beside it.
What a year in Clifton Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clifton Springs’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 57 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, is heaviest from January through March, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clifton Springs
94% 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 Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
Living with Clifton Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clifton Springs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (84%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clifton Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Clifton Springs yet.
Climates most like Clifton Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Springs, NY | 17° | 81° | 35" | 57" |
| South Milwaukee, WI | 16° | 81° | 34" | 49" |
| Lansing, MI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 50" |
| Park City, IL | 16° | 82° | 37" | 43" |
| Michigan City, IN | 19° | 82° | 39" | 65" |
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 Clifton Springs averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 51% 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 Clifton Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clifton Springs’ place among New York’s.
Clifton Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clifton Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Geneva Rsch Farm, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.3" | 13.5" | 14 | 21 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.9" | 13.3" | 11 | 21 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 42° | 25° | 2.4" | 12.8" | 12 | 15 | 26° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 1.8" | 13 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 42° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.6" | 4.7" | 12 | 4 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 37° | 24° | 2.6" | 10.4" | 13 | 15 | 22° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 39° | 35.4" | 56.6" | 153 | 77 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Clifton Springs’ 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 Clifton Springs’ center.
- Snow: Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Clifton Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Clifton Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clifton Springs in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Clifton Springs get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, heaviest from January through March, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 77 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clifton Springs?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 61°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Geneva Rsch Farm, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Clifton Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 173 frost-free days, at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
What growing zone is Clifton Springs in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clifton Springs?
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 Clifton Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clifton Springs.
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.