Carbondale City Hall and Courthouse · Photo: Smallbones · CC0Carbondale has cooler summers than 86% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 16°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 81% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 10, with the first autumn frost due around October 4.
A year in Carbondale at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carbondale’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carbondale’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Carbondale feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hawley 1 E, PA, 19 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carbondale’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hawley 1 E, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carbondale
95% 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 Hawley 1 E, PA.
Living with Carbondale’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 8.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carbondale from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (90%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carbondale and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Carbondale in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Carbondale’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbondale, PA | 16° | 81° | 46" | 47" |
| Durham, NH | 16° | 81° | 47" | 39" |
| Topsfield, MA | 18° | 82° | 47" | 48" |
| Eliot, ME | 15° | 81° | 48" | 56" |
| Tolland, CT | 17° | 82° | 49" | 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 Carbondale averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Carbondale compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carbondale’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Carbondale weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carbondale’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hawley 1 E, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 16° | 3.3" | 13.0" | 11 | 21 | 15° – 32° |
| February | 35° | 17° | 2.7" | 13.2" | 9 | 22 | 14° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 24° | 3.4" | 9.4" | 10 | 14 | 27° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 34° | 3.9" | 1.1" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 45° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 54° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 39° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 30° | 3.2" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 33° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 3.5" | 9.1" | 12 | 13 | 21° – 41° |
| Year | 58° | 37° | 45.8" | 47.1" | 129 | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Carbondale’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 Carbondale’s center.
- Snow: Hawley 1 E, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hawley 1 E, PA, 19 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower; 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 Carbondale’s climate
What is the weather like in Carbondale?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carbondale in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Carbondale get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Hawley 1 E, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 71 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carbondale?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 58°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Hawley 1 E, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Carbondale?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 146 frost-free days, at Hawley 1 E, PA.
What growing zone is Carbondale in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carbondale?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carbondale getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carbondale.
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.