Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWaterville’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Waterville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Waterville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Waterville’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Waterville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Toledo Express Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Waterville’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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Toledo Express Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 133 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Waterville
85% of the work is heating. 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 Toledo Express Airport.
Living with Waterville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 24.
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 Waterville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Waterville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Waterville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Waterville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterville, OH | 19° | 85° | 35" | 37" |
| Stickney, IL | 18° | 84° | 38" | 39" |
| Hollidaysburg, PA | 20° | 85° | 40" | 38" |
| Southport, NY | 16° | 83° | 36" | 42" |
| East Chicago, IN | 19° | 83° | 38" | 39" |
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 Waterville averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Waterville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Waterville’s place among Ohio’s.
Waterville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Waterville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Toledo Express Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 19° | 2.2" | 12.3" | 14 | 15 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 37° | 21° | 2.1" | 10.2" | 11 | 12 | 14° – 40° |
| March | 47° | 29° | 2.4" | 5.3" | 12 | 5 | 30° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 3.4" | 1.3" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| October | 64° | 44° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 33° | 2.6" | 1.7" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 38° | 25° | 2.3" | 6.5" | 12 | 8 | 19° – 42° |
| Year | 61° | 42° | 34.8" | 37.4" | 133 | 40 |
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 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Waterville’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 Waterville’s center.
- Snow: Toledo Express Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Toledo Express Airport, 7 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 Waterville’s climate
What is the weather like in Waterville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Waterville in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Waterville get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Toledo Express Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 40 days a year.
How hot does it get in Waterville?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Toledo Express Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Waterville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 188 frost-free days, at Toledo Express Airport.
What growing zone is Waterville 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 Waterville?
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 Waterville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Waterville.
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.