Photo: Enesse Bhé · CC BY-SA 2.0Moriah’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Moriah at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Moriah’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Moriah’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Moriah feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from Cornwall, VT, 17 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Moriah’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elizabethtown, NY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Moriah
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cornwall, VT.
Living with Moriah’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 5 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 32 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Moriah from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Moriah and its neighbors
North Hudson has the coldest January nights next door (5°, 4° colder) and Addison the hottest July afternoons (83°, 3° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Moriah’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moriah, NY | 9° | 80° | 42" | 64" |
| Old Town, ME | 9° | 80° | 43" | 75" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 75" |
| Stewartville, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 53" |
| 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 Moriah averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Moriah compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Moriah’s place among New York’s.
Moriah weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Moriah’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elizabethtown, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 9° | 2.9" | 13.1" | 11 | 5° – 27° |
| February | 31° | 11° | 2.4" | 17.2" | 9 | 6° – 28° |
| March | 40° | 19° | 3.1" | 13.9" | 9 | 20° – 41° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 3.8" | 3.1" | 10 | 37° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 12 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 52° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 61° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 77° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 70° | 48° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 38° | 3.9" | 0.3" | 11 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 44° | 28° | 3.4" | 3.8" | 10 | 30° – 42° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 3.3" | 12.2" | 11 | 18° – 37° |
| Year | 55° | 34° | 42.3" | 63.7" | 128 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 27°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Moriah’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 Moriah’s center.
- Snow: Elizabethtown, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cornwall, VT, 17 miles from the town’s center, 850 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Moriah’s climate
What is the weather like in Moriah?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 64 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 Moriah in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 5°.
How much snow does Moriah get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Elizabethtown, NY, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Moriah?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Cornwall, VT).
When is the first and last frost in Moriah?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 151 frost-free days, at Cornwall, VT.
What growing zone is Moriah in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Moriah?
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 Moriah getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Moriah.
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.