Photo: Nyttend · Public domainSummers in Sparta are cooler than in 75% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 18°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 68% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Garden chairs stay out from May to October, the months with highs of 63–83°.
A year in Sparta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sparta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sparta’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Sparta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Centerburg 2 Se, OH, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sparta’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Danville 2 W, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 144 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sparta
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 Centerburg 2 Se, OH.
Living with Sparta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sparta 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 →Sparta and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sparta yet.
Climates most like Sparta’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta, OH | 18° | 83° | 43" | 42" |
| Park Forest Village, PA | 20° | 82° | 43" | 44" |
| Middletown, NY | 18° | 83° | 46" | 43" |
| Kokomo, IN | 18° | 84° | 42" | 34" |
| Ludlow, MA | 16° | 84° | 45" | 43" |
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 Sparta averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Sparta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sparta’s place among Ohio’s.
Sparta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sparta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Danville 2 W, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 3.1" | 12.9" | 14 | 16 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 37° | 21° | 2.4" | 10.6" | 12 | 12 | 15° – 39° |
| March | 48° | 29° | 3.3" | 6.5" | 12 | 5 | 32° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 4.1" | 1.2" | 14 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 67° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 3.2" | 2.3" | 11 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 3.1" | 8.1" | 14 | 9 | 20° – 42° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 42.7" | 41.6" | 144 | 44 |
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 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sparta’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 Sparta’s center.
- Snow: Danville 2 W, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Centerburg 2 Se, OH, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower; 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 Sparta’s climate
What is the weather like in Sparta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sparta in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 128 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 Sparta get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Danville 2 W, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sparta?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Centerburg 2 Se, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Sparta?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 172 frost-free days, at Centerburg 2 Se, OH.
What growing zone is Sparta in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sparta?
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 Sparta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sparta.
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.