Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0Less rain and snow falls on Dresden than on 81% of U.S. towns: 33 inches a year
July afternoons average 82°. The wettest month is July; the driest is February. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 77% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Dresden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dresden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dresden’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Dresden 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 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Penn Yan Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dresden’s center in zone 6b: 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 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Aurora Rsch Farm, NY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 156 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dresden
92% 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 Penn Yan Airport.
Living with Dresden’s 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 22.
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 Dresden from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dresden and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dresden yet.
Climates most like Dresden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dresden, NY | 18° | 82° | 33" | 56" |
| Burton, MI | 16° | 83° | 33" | 52" |
| Oak Creek, WI | 16° | 81° | 34" | 49" |
| Beach Park, IL | 16° | 82° | 36" | 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 Dresden averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Dresden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dresden’s place among New York’s.
Dresden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dresden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Aurora Rsch Farm, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 18° | 1.8" | 15.0" | 14 | 15° – 34° |
| February | 36° | 19° | 1.7" | 12.7" | 11 | 12° – 36° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 2.3" | 11.8" | 13 | 27° – 47° |
| April | 57° | 35° | 2.8" | 2.1" | 14 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 13 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 42° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 15 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 33° | 2.3" | 3.8" | 13 | 35° – 47° |
| December | 38° | 25° | 2.3" | 10.5" | 14 | 23° – 42° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 33.1" | 56.2" | 156 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dresden’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 Dresden’s center.
- Snow: Aurora Rsch Farm, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Penn Yan Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, 400 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 Dresden’s climate
What is the weather like in Dresden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dresden in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 129 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Dresden get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Aurora Rsch Farm, NY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Dresden?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Penn Yan Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Dresden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 173 frost-free days, at Penn Yan Airport.
What growing zone is Dresden in?
Zone 6b 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 Dresden?
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 Dresden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dresden.
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.