Photo: Tyler A. McNeil · CC BY 3.0Galway has colder winter nights than 90% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.4° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 16.
A year in Galway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Galway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Galway’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Galway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Conklingville Dam, NY, 21 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Galway’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Saratoga Springs 4 Sw, NY, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Galway
96% 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 Conklingville Dam, NY.
Living with Galway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 16.
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 Galway from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Galway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Galway yet.
Climates most like Galway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galway, NY | 13° | 81° | 45" | 64" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 75" |
| Auburn, ME | 10° | 80° | 47" | 65" |
| Newmarket, NH | 16° | 81° | 47" | 65" |
| Amesbury, MA | 17° | 82° | 48" | 62" |
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 Galway averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Galway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Galway’s place among New York’s.
Galway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Galway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Saratoga Springs 4 Sw, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 13° | 3.1" | 16.5" | 12 | 23 | 10° – 29° |
| February | 33° | 14° | 2.7" | 15.7" | 10 | 23 | 10° – 31° |
| March | 42° | 23° | 3.4" | 11.4" | 11 | 17 | 25° – 43° |
| April | 56° | 34° | 3.7" | 1.8" | 12 | 2 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 54° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 59° | 39° | 4.1" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 30° | 3.3" | 2.9" | 11 | 3 | 33° – 43° |
| December | 35° | 20° | 3.7" | 15.1" | 12 | 16 | 20° – 39° |
| Year | 57° | 36° | 44.7" | 63.5" | 138 | 84 |
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 31°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Galway’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 Galway’s center.
- Snow: Saratoga Springs 4 Sw, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Conklingville Dam, NY, 21 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 Galway’s climate
What is the weather like in Galway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Galway in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 153 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Galway get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Saratoga Springs 4 Sw, NY, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 84 days a year.
How hot does it get in Galway?
July, with a typical high of 81°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Conklingville Dam, NY.
When is the first and last frost in Galway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 169 frost-free days, at Conklingville Dam, NY.
What growing zone is Galway in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Galway?
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 Galway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Galway.
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.