Photo: Roland Penttila · CC BY-SA 3.0Ashtabula gets about 90 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ashtabula at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ashtabula’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ashtabula’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Ashtabula feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ashtabula Co Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ashtabula’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 90 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dorset, OH, falls mostly in January. 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 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ashtabula
92% 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 Ashtabula Co Airport.
Living with Ashtabula’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 2 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. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ashtabula from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ashtabula and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ashtabula in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ashtabula’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula, OH | 22° | 80° | 41" | 90" |
| St. Joseph, MI | 20° | 82° | 38" | 78" |
| Frostburg, MD | 20° | 82° | 44" | 72" |
| Ontario, NY | 18° | 80° | 36" | 86" |
| Michigan City, IN | 19° | 82° | 39" | 65" |
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 Ashtabula averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Ashtabula compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ashtabula’s place among Ohio’s.
Ashtabula weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ashtabula’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dorset, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 22° | 2.9" | 29.6" | 14 | 21 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 36° | 21° | 2.2" | 15.8" | 10 | 17 | 12° – 38° |
| March | 44° | 29° | 2.9" | 12.5" | 11 | 10 | 28° – 50° |
| April | 56° | 38° | 3.6" | 2.4" | 12 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 67° | 49° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 76° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 80° | 64° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 46° | 4.0" | 0.4" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 50° | 36° | 3.6" | 8.4" | 12 | 4 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 40° | 28° | 3.1" | 20.8" | 13 | 14 | 24° – 44° |
| Year | 58° | 42° | 41.1" | 89.9" | 138 | 67 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 38°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Ashtabula’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 Ashtabula’s center.
- Snow: Dorset, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ashtabula Co Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 300 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 Ashtabula’s climate
What is the weather like in Ashtabula?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ashtabula in winter?
February nights average 21°. About 124 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Ashtabula get?
About 90 inches in a normal winter at Dorset, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 67 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ashtabula?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 64°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Ashtabula Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ashtabula?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 171 frost-free days, at Ashtabula Co Airport.
What growing zone is Ashtabula in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ashtabula?
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 Ashtabula getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ashtabula.
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.