Photo: Brandon Peterman (Zyrshnikashnu at en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0Tonawanda has cooler summers than 88% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 18°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 69% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 68–81°.
A year in Tonawanda at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tonawanda’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tonawanda’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Tonawanda feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 25. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at N Tonawanda, NY, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Niagara Falls, NY, 7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tonawanda’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 72 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Niagara Falls, NY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 158 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tonawanda
90% 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 Niagara Falls, NY.
Living with Tonawanda’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tonawanda from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tonawanda and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Tonawanda in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Tonawanda’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonawanda, NY | 18° | 81° | 38" | 72" |
| St. Joseph, MI | 20° | 82° | 38" | 78" |
| Michigan City, IN | 19° | 82° | 39" | 65" |
| Shaker Heights, OH | 20° | 82° | 41" | 64" |
| Frostburg, MD | 20° | 82° | 44" | 72" |
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 Tonawanda averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 Tonawanda compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tonawanda’s place among New York’s.
Tonawanda weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tonawanda’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Niagara Falls, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 18° | 2.8" | 22.3" | 18 | 19 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 34° | 19° | 2.2" | 16.3" | 15 | 17 | 10° – 35° |
| March | 43° | 26° | 2.6" | 11.6" | 13 | 11 | 26° – 46° |
| April | 55° | 36° | 3.3" | 2.2" | 13 | 1 | 40° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 77° | 57° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 81° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 60° | 43° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 33° | 3.1" | 4.1" | 13 | 2 | 35° – 46° |
| December | 37° | 25° | 3.1" | 15.7" | 16 | 11 | 21° – 42° |
| Year | 57° | 40° | 37.7" | 72.4" | 158 | 60 |
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 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Tonawanda’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 Tonawanda’s center.
- Snow: Niagara Falls, NY.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Niagara Falls, NY, 7 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: N Tonawanda, NY, 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 Tonawanda’s climate
What is the weather like in Tonawanda?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tonawanda in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Tonawanda get?
About 72 inches in a normal winter at Niagara Falls, NY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 60 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tonawanda?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 62°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Niagara Falls, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Tonawanda?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 179 frost-free days, at Niagara Falls, NY.
What growing zone is Tonawanda in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tonawanda?
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 Tonawanda getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tonawanda.
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.