Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domainDexter gets about 116 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 154 U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 80°. Winter and summer sit 69° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 92% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 11, with the first autumn frost due around October 1.
A year in Dexter at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dexter’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dexter’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Dexter feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Watertown International Airport, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dexter’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 116 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Watertown, NY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 168 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dexter
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 Watertown International Airport.
Living with Dexter’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dexter from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dexter and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dexter in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dexter’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter, NY | 12° | 80° | 41" | 116" |
| Jericho, VT | 9° | 79° | 43" | 139" |
| Winslow, ME | 9° | 80° | 44" | 86" |
| Corry, PA | 16° | 80° | 47" | 114" |
| Chardon, OH | 18° | 81° | 45" | 114" |
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 Dexter averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 78% 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 Dexter compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dexter’s place among New York’s.
Dexter weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dexter’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Watertown, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 12° | 3.3" | 34.0" | 18 | 26 | 6° – 30° |
| February | 31° | 13° | 2.5" | 29.6" | 15 | 25 | 6° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 22° | 2.7" | 13.6" | 13 | 16 | 23° – 43° |
| April | 54° | 34° | 3.3" | 2.7" | 14 | 2 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 61° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| August | 79° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 71° | 51° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 41° | 4.5" | 0.5" | 16 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 31° | 3.7" | 9.1" | 15 | 5 | 32° – 44° |
| December | 35° | 20° | 3.5" | 26.9" | 17 | 18 | 17° – 40° |
| Year | 55° | 37° | 40.7" | 116.4" | 168 | 92 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Dexter’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 Dexter’s center.
- Snow: Watertown, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Watertown International Airport, 1.6 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 Dexter’s climate
What is the weather like in Dexter?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 116 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dexter in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 151 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Dexter get?
About 116 inches in a normal winter at Watertown, NY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 92 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dexter?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 61°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Watertown International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Dexter?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 140 frost-free days, at Watertown International Airport.
What growing zone is Dexter in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dexter?
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 Dexter getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 78% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dexter.
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.