Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0More precipitation falls on Bowers than on 81% of U.S. towns: 49 inches a year
July afternoons average 85°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in February. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Bowers at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bowers’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bowers’ place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Bowers feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bowers’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bechtelsville 1ene, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bowers
88% 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 Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA.
Living with Bowers’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bowers from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bowers and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bowers in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bowers’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowers, PA | 21° | 85° | 49" | 4.2" |
| Maysville, KY | 23° | 86° | 48" | 8.8" |
| Bedford, IN | 22° | 86° | 49" | 10" |
| Marshfield, MO | 23° | 87° | 46" | 5.2" |
| Elizabethton, TN | 26° | 86° | 47" | 6.0" |
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 Bowers averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Bowers compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bowers’ place among Pennsylvania’s.
Bowers weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bowers’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bechtelsville 1ene, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 21° | 3.6" | 1.4" | 8 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.6" | 1.9" | 5 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 49° | 30° | 4.0" | 0.6" | 9 | 33° – 48° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 56° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 73° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 7 | 48° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 26° | 4.0" | 0.2" | 8 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 49.1" | 4.2" | 94 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Bowers’ 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 Bowers’ center.
- Snow: Bechtelsville 1ene, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA, 5 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 Bowers’ climate
What is the weather like in Bowers?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bowers in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 131 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 20°.
How much snow does Bowers get?
About 4.2 inches in a normal winter at Bechtelsville 1ene, PA, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Bowers?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Bowers?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 171 frost-free days, at Rodale Rsch Ctr, PA.
What growing zone is Bowers in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bowers?
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 Bowers getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bowers.
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.