Photo: Jared Kofsky/Placenj.com · CC BY-SA 4.0Phelps’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Phelps at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Phelps’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Phelps’ place in New York beside it.
What a year in Phelps feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, 6 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Phelps’ center in zone 6b: 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 57 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, is heaviest from January through March, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Phelps
94% 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 Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
Living with Phelps’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Phelps from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Phelps and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Phelps yet.
Climates most like Phelps’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps, NY | 17° | 81° | 36" | 57" |
| South Milwaukee, WI | 16° | 81° | 34" | 49" |
| Lansing, MI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 50" |
| Park City, IL | 16° | 82° | 37" | 43" |
| Michigan City, IN | 19° | 82° | 39" | 65" |
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 Phelps averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A smaller 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 Phelps compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Phelps’ place among New York’s.
Phelps weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Phelps’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Geneva Rsch Farm, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.2" | 13.5" | 14 | 21 | 14° – 33° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.9" | 13.3" | 11 | 21 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 42° | 25° | 2.4" | 12.8" | 12 | 15 | 26° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 1.8" | 13 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 59° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| October | 60° | 42° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 2.7" | 4.7" | 12 | 4 | 35° – 46° |
| December | 37° | 24° | 2.7" | 10.4" | 13 | 15 | 22° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 39° | 35.8" | 56.6" | 153 | 77 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Phelps’ 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 Phelps’ center.
- Snow: Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, 6 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher; 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 Phelps’ climate
What is the weather like in Phelps?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Phelps in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Phelps get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, heaviest from January through March, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 77 days a year.
How hot does it get in Phelps?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 61°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Geneva Rsch Farm, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Phelps?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 173 frost-free days, at Geneva Rsch Farm, NY.
What growing zone is Phelps in?
Zone 6b 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 Phelps?
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 Phelps getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Phelps.
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.