Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0No extremes in Walden: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 84°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 70% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.9° higher. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to October, with highs of 63–84°.
A year in Walden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Walden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Walden’s place in New York beside it.
What a year in Walden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Walden 1 Ese, NY, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Walden’s 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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Walden 1 Ese, NY, is heaviest from January through March, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Walden
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 Walden 1 Ese, NY.
Living with Walden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 2.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Walden from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Walden and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Walden yet.
Climates most like Walden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walden, NY | 18° | 84° | 44" | 44" |
| Bellefonte, PA | 20° | 84° | 42" | 44" |
| Cochituate, MA | 17° | 84° | 47" | 46" |
| Apple Valley, OH | 19° | 83° | 42" | 42" |
| Kokomo, IN | 18° | 84° | 42" | 34" |
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 Walden averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 87% 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 Walden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Walden’s place among New York’s.
Walden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Walden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Walden 1 Ese, NY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 3.0" | 11.3" | 11 | 19 | 16° – 34° |
| February | 38° | 20° | 2.5" | 11.2" | 8 | 16 | 16° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 3.4" | 10.7" | 11 | 11 | 30° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.7" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 3.2" | 1.1" | 9 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 3.6" | 9.2" | 9 | 11 | 25° – 43° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 44.1" | 44.2" | 116 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Walden’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 Walden’s center.
- Snow: Walden 1 Ese, NY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Walden 1 Ese, NY, 1.4 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 Walden’s climate
What is the weather like in Walden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Walden in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Walden get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Walden 1 Ese, NY, heaviest from January through March, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Walden?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Walden 1 Ese, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Walden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 164 frost-free days, at Walden 1 Ese, NY.
What growing zone is Walden 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 Walden?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Walden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Walden.
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.