First Presbyterian Church Complex · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Gouverneur gets about 92 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 80°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 71°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 93% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 67–80°.
A year in Gouverneur at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gouverneur’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gouverneur’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Gouverneur feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gouverneur’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 92 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY, is heaviest from January through February, about 23 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; October 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 Gouverneur
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 Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY.
Living with Gouverneur’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 7.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gouverneur from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gouverneur and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Gouverneur in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Gouverneur’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gouverneur, NY | 8° | 80° | 40" | 92" |
| St. Johnsbury, VT | 5° | 80° | 40" | 87" |
| Winslow, ME | 9° | 80° | 44" | 86" |
| Littleton, NH | 6° | 80° | 40" | 68" |
| Cadillac, MI | 12° | 80° | 35" | 74" |
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 Gouverneur averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Gouverneur compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gouverneur’s place among New York’s.
Gouverneur weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gouverneur’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 8° | 3.0" | 23.7" | 17 | 27 | 1° – 28° |
| February | 30° | 10° | 2.3" | 23.0" | 13 | 26 | 4° – 28° |
| March | 39° | 20° | 2.6" | 15.1" | 13 | 19 | 20° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 33° | 3.3" | 4.2" | 13 | 3 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 54° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| August | 78° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 49° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 4.4" | 0.8" | 14 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 45° | 29° | 3.4" | 7.2" | 14 | 6 | 31° – 43° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 3.3" | 18.3" | 17 | 20 | 16° – 38° |
| Year | 55° | 35° | 40.4" | 92.4" | 156 | 101 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gouverneur’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 Gouverneur’s center.
- Snow: Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY, 1.1 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 Gouverneur’s climate
What is the weather like in Gouverneur?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 92 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gouverneur in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 166 nights a year reach 32° or below and 32 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Gouverneur get?
About 92 inches in a normal winter at Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY, heaviest from January through February, about 23 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 101 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gouverneur?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 59°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Gouverneur?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 134 frost-free days, at Gouverneur 3 Nw, NY.
What growing zone is Gouverneur in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gouverneur?
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 Gouverneur getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gouverneur.
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.