Liverpool Cemetery · Photo: Kristalia.s · CC BY-SA 4.0Salina gets about 128 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 100 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 128 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Salina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salina’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Salina 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 29 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salina’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 128 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 174 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salina
91% 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 Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Living with Salina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salina from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salina and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Salina in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Salina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salina, NY | 16° | 82° | 41" | 128" |
| Pepper Pike, OH | 19° | 82° | 42" | 114" |
| Allegan, MI | 18° | 83° | 39" | 109" |
| Edinboro, PA | 18° | 81° | 47" | 114" |
| Jericho, VT | 9° | 79° | 43" | 139" |
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 Salina averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Salina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salina’s place among New York’s.
Salina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salina’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Syracuse Hancock International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 16° | 2.8" | 34.0" | 19 | 23 | 12° – 32° |
| February | 33° | 17° | 2.5" | 30.3" | 17 | 22 | 10° – 33° |
| March | 42° | 24° | 3.0" | 19.8" | 16 | 15 | 25° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 3.5" | 3.0" | 15 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 41° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 15 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 3.4" | 9.8" | 16 | 4 | 34° – 46° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 3.3" | 30.6" | 19 | 15 | 21° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 38° | 41.4" | 127.8" | 174 | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Salina’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 Salina’s center.
- Snow: Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Syracuse Hancock International Airport, 3 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 Salina’s climate
What is the weather like in Salina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 128 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salina in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Salina get?
About 128 inches in a normal winter at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 80 days a year.
How hot does it get in Salina?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Syracuse Hancock International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Salina?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 173 frost-free days, at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
What growing zone is Salina in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salina?
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 Salina getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salina.
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.