Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0Smithville’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Smithville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Smithville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Smithville’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Smithville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wooster Wayne Co Airport, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Smithville’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wooster Exp Station, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 142 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Smithville
91% 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 Wooster Wayne Co Airport.
Living with Smithville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Smithville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Smithville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Smithville yet.
Climates most like Smithville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithville, OH | 19° | 83° | 40" | 29" |
| Gary, IN | 19° | 83° | 38" | 27" |
| Calumet City, IL | 18° | 84° | 39" | 28" |
| Tyrone, PA | 19° | 84° | 42" | 35" |
| Ghent, 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 Smithville averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Smithville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Smithville’s place among Ohio’s.
Smithville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Smithville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wooster Exp Station, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 19° | 2.7" | 9.4" | 14 | 16 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 38° | 21° | 2.2" | 7.0" | 12 | 14 | 14° – 39° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 3.1" | 4.9" | 12 | 6 | 31° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 3.7" | 0.7" | 13 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 67° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 33° | 2.8" | 1.2" | 11 | 1 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 25° | 2.7" | 5.4" | 13 | 9 | 21° – 43° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 39.9" | 28.6" | 142 | 47 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Smithville’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 Smithville’s center.
- Snow: Wooster Exp Station, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wooster Wayne Co Airport, 1.6 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 Smithville’s climate
What is the weather like in Smithville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Smithville in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 129 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 17°.
How much snow does Smithville get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Wooster Exp Station, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Smithville?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Wooster Wayne Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Smithville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 167 frost-free days, at Wooster Wayne Co Airport.
What growing zone is Smithville in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Smithville?
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 Smithville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Smithville.
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.