Photo: Anne LaBastille · Public domainOld Forge gets about 158 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 51 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 76°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 64–76°.
A year in Old Forge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Old Forge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Old Forge’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Old Forge 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 18 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Old Forge, NY, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Old Forge’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 158 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Old Forge, NY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 172 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Old Forge
98% 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 Old Forge, NY.
Living with Old Forge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 18 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Old Forge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (92%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Old Forge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Old Forge yet.
Climates most like Old Forge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Forge, NY | 6° | 76° | 51" | 158" |
| Caribou, ME | 2° | 77° | 41" | 118" |
| Lyndon, VT | 5° | 79° | 41" | 142" |
| Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 8° | 76° | 37" | 120" |
| Berlin, NH | 5° | 77° | 45" | 82" |
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 Old Forge averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 Old Forge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Old Forge’s place among New York’s.
Old Forge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Old Forge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Old Forge, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 6° | 4.0" | 46.7" | 19 | 4° – 25° |
| February | 29° | 6° | 3.2" | 30.9" | 15 | 3° – 26° |
| March | 37° | 15° | 3.4" | 22.6" | 14 | 16° – 37° |
| April | 51° | 28° | 3.8" | 5.3" | 13 | 32° – 45° |
| May | 64° | 40° | 4.4" | 0.5" | 14 | 45° – 58° |
| June | 72° | 49° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 57° – 66° |
| July | 76° | 54° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 60° – 69° |
| August | 75° | 52° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 68° |
| September | 68° | 45° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 52° – 62° |
| October | 55° | 34° | 5.2" | 2.2" | 14 | 40° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 24° | 4.3" | 14.9" | 16 | 28° – 39° |
| December | 31° | 14° | 4.4" | 34.8" | 18 | 14° – 35° |
| Year | 52° | 31° | 50.9" | 157.9" | 172 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Old Forge’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 Old Forge’s center.
- Snow: Old Forge, NY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Old Forge, NY, 0.8 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 Old Forge’s climate
What is the weather like in Old Forge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 158 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Old Forge in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 183 nights a year reach 32° or below and 33 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Old Forge get?
About 158 inches in a normal winter at Old Forge, NY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Old Forge?
July, with a typical high of 76°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Old Forge, NY.
When is the first and last frost in Old Forge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 134 frost-free days, at Old Forge, NY.
What growing zone is Old Forge in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Old Forge?
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 Old Forge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Old Forge.
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.