Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Summers in Donegal are cooler than in 90% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 19°. Rain is spread evenly through the year: the wettest month, June, gets little more than the driest, February. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 83% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 30; autumn frost returns near October 17.
A year in Donegal at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Donegal’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Donegal’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Donegal feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Donegal 2 Nw, PA, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Donegal’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Pleasant, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 150 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Donegal
92% 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 Donegal 2 Nw, PA.
Living with Donegal’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 Donegal from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (88%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Donegal and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Donegal yet.
Climates most like Donegal’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donegal, PA | 19° | 81° | 50" | 30" |
| Exeter, RI | 20° | 82° | 50" | 35" |
| Woodbury, NY | 18° | 81° | 50" | 36" |
| Lake Hopatcong, NJ | 18° | 82° | 50" | 28" |
| Salem, MA | 20° | 81° | 48" | 39" |
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 Donegal averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Donegal compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Donegal’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Donegal weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Donegal’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Pleasant, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 19° | 4.0" | 9.0" | 16 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 39° | 21° | 3.4" | 7.5" | 12 | 17° – 39° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 4.0" | 5.6" | 13 | 31° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.3" | 14 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 52° – 65° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 62° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 66° – 75° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 66° |
| October | 62° | 40° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 3.6" | 0.9" | 12 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 4.0" | 6.4" | 14 | 22° – 43° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 49.5" | 29.8" | 150 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Donegal’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 Donegal’s center.
- Snow: Mt Pleasant, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Donegal 2 Nw, PA, 1.7 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 Donegal’s climate
What is the weather like in Donegal?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Donegal in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 143 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Donegal get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Mt Pleasant, PA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Donegal?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Donegal 2 Nw, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Donegal?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 170 frost-free days, at Donegal 2 Nw, PA.
What growing zone is Donegal in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Donegal?
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 Donegal getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Donegal.
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.