James City gets about 93 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 79°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. Garden planting can start around May 24; autumn frost returns near September 28.
A year in James City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about James City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with James City’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in James City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kane 1nne, PA, 5 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts James City’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 93 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kane 1nne, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 177 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in James City
97% 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 Kane 1nne, PA.
Living with James City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 4.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in James City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (88%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →James City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around James City yet.
Climates most like James City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James City, PA | 15° | 79° | 47" | 93" |
| Yarmouth, ME | 14° | 78° | 49" | 84" |
| Oneonta, NY | 13° | 80° | 45" | 83" |
| Gardner, MA | 14° | 80° | 49" | 75" |
| New Ipswich, NH | 14° | 80° | 50" | 75" |
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 James City averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 James City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with James City’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
James City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at James City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kane 1nne, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 15° | 3.6" | 25.4" | 20 | 26 | 15° – 33° |
| February | 34° | 16° | 2.7" | 20.4" | 16 | 24 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 43° | 23° | 3.4" | 13.4" | 15 | 17 | 26° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 33° | 4.1" | 2.9" | 15 | 2 | 40° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| June | 75° | 51° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| July | 79° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| August | 78° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 48° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 37° | 4.0" | 0.8" | 15 | 1 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 46° | 29° | 3.8" | 8.2" | 15 | 7 | 31° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 22° | 3.8" | 21.7" | 19 | 20 | 19° – 40° |
| Year | 56° | 35° | 47.4" | 92.9" | 177 | 96 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where James City’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 James City’s center.
- Snow: Kane 1nne, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kane 1nne, PA, 5 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 James City’s climate
What is the weather like in James City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 93 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in James City in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 184 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does James City get?
About 93 inches in a normal winter at Kane 1nne, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 96 days a year.
How hot does it get in James City?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 55°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Kane 1nne, PA).
When is the first and last frost in James City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 126 frost-free days, at Kane 1nne, PA.
What growing zone is James City in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit James City?
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 James City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in James City.
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.