Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Summers, winters and rain in East Prospect all run close to those of most U.S. towns
July afternoons average 86°. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.8° above 1901–2000. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in East Prospect at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about East Prospect’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with East Prospect’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in East Prospect feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 221 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Safe Harbor Dam, PA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts East Prospect’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lancaster 2ne Fltr Plt, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in East Prospect
81% of the work is heating. 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 Safe Harbor Dam, PA.
Living with East Prospect’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
221 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Nov 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in East Prospect from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →East Prospect and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around East Prospect yet.
Climates most like East Prospect’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Prospect, PA | 22° | 86° | 44" | 21" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Francisville, KY | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Forestville, OH | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Clarksburg, WV | 23° | 85° | 47" | 24" |
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 East Prospect averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
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 East Prospect compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with East Prospect’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
East Prospect weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at East Prospect’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lancaster 2ne Fltr Plt, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.0" | 6.1" | 10 | 7 | 21° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 23° | 2.6" | 7.4" | 9 | 9 | 21° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 3.8" | 3.4" | 11 | 3 | 36° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.1" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.5" | 3.4" | 11 | 2 | 26° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 44.4" | 21.4" | 124 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 41°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where East Prospect’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 East Prospect’s center.
- Snow: Lancaster 2ne Fltr Plt, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Safe Harbor Dam, PA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 270 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 East Prospect’s climate
What is the weather like in East Prospect?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in East Prospect in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does East Prospect get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Lancaster 2ne Fltr Plt, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in East Prospect?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Safe Harbor Dam, PA).
When is the first and last frost in East Prospect?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 221 frost-free days, at Safe Harbor Dam, PA.
What growing zone is East Prospect in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit East Prospect?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is East Prospect 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 East Prospect.
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.