Pennsylvania Match Company · Photo: Mgreason at en.wikipedia · Public domainThe climate in Bellefonte sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 20°. Seasons differ by 65°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 62% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 20; autumn frost returns near October 26.
A year in Bellefonte at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bellefonte’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bellefonte’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Bellefonte feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at State College, PA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bellefonte’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at State College, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 146 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bellefonte
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 State College, PA.
Living with Bellefonte’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bellefonte from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (79%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bellefonte and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bellefonte yet.
Climates most like Bellefonte’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellefonte, PA | 20° | 84° | 42" | 44" |
| Mount Vernon, OH | 19° | 84° | 41" | 42" |
| Weirton, WV | 21° | 84° | 41" | 44" |
| Walden, NY | 18° | 84° | 44" | 44" |
| Kokomo, IN | 18° | 84° | 42" | 34" |
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 Bellefonte averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Bellefonte compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bellefonte’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Bellefonte weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bellefonte’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from State College, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 2.8" | 11.3" | 14 | 14 | 19° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 21° | 2.3" | 11.6" | 11 | 14 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 48° | 27° | 3.3" | 9.4" | 12 | 8 | 31° – 49° |
| April | 62° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.9" | 14 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 72° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| October | 63° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 32° | 3.1" | 2.6" | 11 | 2 | 36° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 25° | 3.2" | 7.6" | 13 | 8 | 23° – 42° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 42.0" | 43.8" | 146 | 46 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Bellefonte’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 Bellefonte’s center.
- Snow: State College, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: State College, PA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 280 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 Bellefonte’s climate
What is the weather like in Bellefonte?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bellefonte in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Bellefonte get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at State College, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 46 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bellefonte?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (State College, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Bellefonte?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 187 frost-free days, at State College, PA.
What growing zone is Bellefonte in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bellefonte?
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 Bellefonte getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bellefonte.
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.