For weather, Gordon Heights is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Expect July afternoons of about 83°. A year here swings 61° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 69% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 21; autumn frost returns near October 24.
A year in Gordon Heights at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gordon Heights’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gordon Heights’ place in New York beside it.
What a year in Gordon Heights feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 184 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gordon Heights’ center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Islip Li Macarthur Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; December is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gordon Heights
89% 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 Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY.
Living with Gordon Heights’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
184 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 4.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gordon Heights from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gordon Heights and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Gordon Heights in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Gordon Heights’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Heights, NY | 23° | 83° | 46" | 32" |
| Jeannette, PA | 21° | 83° | 44" | 30" |
| Manchester, MD | 22° | 84° | 47" | 34" |
| Bridgeport, WV | 23° | 84° | 47" | 24" |
| Wilmington, OH | 21° | 84° | 44" | 27" |
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 Gordon Heights averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 98% 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 Gordon Heights compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gordon Heights’ place among New York’s.
Gordon Heights weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gordon Heights’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Islip Li Macarthur Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 23° | 3.5" | 10.3" | 11 | 7 | 23° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 3.2" | 9.4" | 10 | 9 | 21° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 30° | 4.5" | 6.5" | 11 | 4 | 34° – 47° |
| April | 59° | 39° | 4.1" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 58° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 71° |
| July | 83° | 65° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 45° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 28° | 4.6" | 4.5" | 12 | 3 | 29° – 47° |
| Year | 61° | 43° | 46.3" | 31.8" | 122 | 23 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Gordon Heights’ 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 Gordon Heights’ center.
- Snow: Islip Li Macarthur Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY, 5 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 Gordon Heights’ climate
What is the weather like in Gordon Heights?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gordon Heights in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 118 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Gordon Heights get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Islip Li Macarthur Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gordon Heights?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 65°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Gordon Heights?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 184 frost-free days, at Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY.
What growing zone is Gordon Heights in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gordon Heights?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Gordon Heights getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gordon Heights.
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.