Photo: Nheyob · CC BY-SA 4.0No extremes in Dresden: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 84°. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Plan time outside from May to June and August to October, when highs sit at 65–83°.
A year in Dresden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dresden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dresden’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Dresden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dresden’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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cooperdale, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dresden
88% 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 Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH.
Living with Dresden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dresden from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dresden and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dresden in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dresden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dresden, OH | 20° | 84° | 42" | 18" |
| Muncie, IN | 20° | 84° | 42" | 19" |
| Paris, IL | 20° | 85° | 43" | 19" |
| Wytheville, VA | 24° | 83° | 42" | 18" |
| Huntingdon, PA | 21° | 85° | 40" | 26" |
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 Dresden averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Dresden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dresden’s place among Ohio’s.
Dresden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dresden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cooperdale, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 20° | 3.0" | 7.9" | 13 | 12 | 20° – 40° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.5" | 4.1" | 10 | 8 | 18° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 3.4" | 2.9" | 11 | 3 | 34° – 52° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.8" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 41° | 25° | 3.2" | 2.8" | 13 | 6 | 23° – 44° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 41.5" | 18.1" | 125 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dresden’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 Dresden’s center.
- Snow: Cooperdale, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH, 11 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 Dresden’s climate
What is the weather like in Dresden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dresden in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Dresden get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Cooperdale, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dresden?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Dresden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 174 frost-free days, at Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH.
What growing zone is Dresden 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 Dresden?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dresden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dresden.
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.