Photo: Photo by and ©2008 Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!) · CC BY-SA 2.5Weather without surprises: Fort Seneca keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 20°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 71% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.1°, most of all in December. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Fort Seneca at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Seneca’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Seneca’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Fort Seneca feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 184 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tiffin, OH, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Seneca’s center in zone 6a: 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tiffin, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Seneca
87% 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 Tiffin, OH.
Living with Fort Seneca’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
184 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Seneca from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Seneca and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Seneca yet.
Climates most like Fort Seneca’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Seneca, OH | 20° | 85° | 37" | 30" |
| Dolton, IL | 18° | 84° | 39" | 28" |
| Huntingdon, PA | 21° | 85° | 40" | 26" |
| Munster, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
| Claverack, NY | 16° | 84° | 42" | 31" |
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 Fort Seneca averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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 Fort Seneca compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Seneca’s place among Ohio’s.
Fort Seneca weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Seneca’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tiffin, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 20° | 2.4" | 9.4" | 12 | 16 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 37° | 22° | 2.1" | 6.8" | 10 | 14 | 15° – 40° |
| March | 47° | 30° | 2.6" | 4.9" | 11 | 5 | 30° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 3.7" | 0.6" | 13 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 44° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 34° | 2.8" | 0.9" | 10 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 39° | 25° | 2.4" | 6.9" | 11 | 10 | 20° – 42° |
| Year | 61° | 42° | 37.0" | 29.5" | 130 | 45 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fort Seneca’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 Fort Seneca’s center.
- Snow: Tiffin, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tiffin, OH, 6 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 Fort Seneca’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Seneca?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Seneca in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Fort Seneca get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Tiffin, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 45 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Seneca?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Tiffin, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Seneca?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 184 frost-free days, at Tiffin, OH.
What growing zone is Fort Seneca in?
Zone 6a 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 Fort Seneca?
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 Fort Seneca getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Seneca.
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.