Photo: United States Air Force · Public domainWright-Patterson AFB’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Wright-Patterson AFB at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wright-Patterson AFB’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wright-Patterson AFB’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Wright-Patterson AFB feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dayton Mcd, OH, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wright-Patterson AFB’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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tipp City, OH, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wright-Patterson AFB
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Dayton Mcd, OH.
Living with Wright-Patterson AFB’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wright-Patterson AFB from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wright-Patterson AFB and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Wright-Patterson AFB in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Wright-Patterson AFB’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright-Patterson AFB, OH | 22° | 85° | 41" | 12" |
| Wheeling, WV | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
| Mattoon, IL | 20° | 86° | 41" | 15" |
| Waynesboro, VA | 25° | 85° | 43" | 11" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
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 Wright-Patterson AFB averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Wright-Patterson AFB compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wright-Patterson AFB’s place among Ohio’s.
Wright-Patterson AFB weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wright-Patterson AFB’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tipp City, OH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 22° | 3.1" | 4.1" | 13 | 8 | 21° – 41° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 2.3" | 2.5" | 10 | 6 | 20° – 42° |
| March | 51° | 32° | 3.4" | 2.6" | 12 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 66° | 45° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 35° | 3.1" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 50° |
| December | 41° | 27° | 3.0" | 1.9" | 12 | 3 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 41.4" | 11.7" | 131 | 19 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wright-Patterson AFB’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 Wright-Patterson AFB’s center.
- Snow: Tipp City, OH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dayton Mcd, OH, 9 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 Wright-Patterson AFB’s climate
What is the weather like in Wright-Patterson AFB?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wright-Patterson AFB in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 107 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 21°.
How much snow does Wright-Patterson AFB get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Tipp City, OH, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 19 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wright-Patterson AFB?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 39 days a year reach 90° (Dayton Mcd, OH).
When is the first and last frost in Wright-Patterson AFB?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 189 frost-free days, at Dayton Mcd, OH.
What growing zone is Wright-Patterson AFB 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 Wright-Patterson AFB?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Wright-Patterson AFB getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wright-Patterson AFB.
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.