Photo: Nyttend · Public domainYankee Lake has cooler summers than 75% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 18° on average. Temperatures cover 65° across the year, low to high. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 1; autumn frost returns near October 17.
A year in Yankee Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yankee Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yankee Lake’s place in Ohio beside it.
What a year in Yankee Lake 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 May 1 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Youngstown Rgnl Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yankee Lake’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 68 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Youngstown Rgnl Airport, 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 168 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Yankee Lake
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 Youngstown Rgnl Airport.
Living with Yankee Lake’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 May 1 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 Yankee Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yankee Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Yankee Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Yankee Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankee Lake, OH | 18° | 83° | 43" | 68" |
| Plattekill, NY | 17° | 83° | 45" | 59" |
| South Bend, IN | 18° | 83° | 40" | 65" |
| Niles, MI | 18° | 83° | 40" | 63" |
| Lawrence, MA | 17° | 83° | 46" | 67" |
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 Yankee Lake averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 80% 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 Yankee Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yankee Lake’s place among Ohio’s.
Yankee Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Yankee Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Youngstown Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 3.0" | 19.6" | 19 | 19 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 2.4" | 15.1" | 16 | 16 | 13° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 3.2" | 10.5" | 15 | 8 | 29° – 49° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.9" | 2.6" | 15 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| August | 81° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 51° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.7" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 3.0" | 4.5" | 14 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 3.2" | 14.8" | 18 | 12 | 22° – 43° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 42.9" | 67.8" | 168 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Yankee Lake’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 Yankee Lake’s center.
- Snow: Youngstown Rgnl Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Youngstown Rgnl Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; 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 Yankee Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Yankee Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 68 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yankee Lake in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Yankee Lake get?
About 68 inches in a normal winter at Youngstown Rgnl Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Yankee Lake?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 60°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Youngstown Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Yankee Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 167 frost-free days, at Youngstown Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Yankee Lake 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 Yankee Lake?
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 Yankee Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Yankee Lake.
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.