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Climate in Mocanaqua · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

A middle-of-the-road climate: Mocanaqua is close to most U.S. towns on every count

Expect July afternoons of about 83°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 70% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.4° rise. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.

Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns#169 coldest of 915 in PA
More snow than 69% of U.S. towns#259Snowiest  of 905 in PA
All PA rankings →

A year in Mocanaqua at a glance

Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.

Jan34°18° 11" snow
Feb37°19° 10" snow
Mar46°26° 6" snow
Apr60°36°
May71°47° Last frost ~May 4
Jun79°56°
Jul83°61° 2 days 90°+
Aug81°59° 2 days 90°+
Sep74°52° Wettest
Oct62°40° First frost ~Oct 11
Nov now49°31°
Dec39°24° 7" snow

What stands out about Mocanaqua’s climate

Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mocanaqua’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.

A normal year

What a year in Mocanaqua feels like

Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.

Winter
37° / 21°
11 days with 1"+ of snow
Spring
59° / 36°
Last frost around May 4
Summer
81° / 59°
4 days reach 90°
Fall
62° / 41°
First frost around Oct 11
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Frost, heat & the growing season

About 159 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Benton 3 Ne, PA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.

145
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
94th most of 915 in Pennsylvania
More freezing nights than 81% of U.S. towns
8
nights at or below 0°
63rd most of 915 in Pennsylvania
More nights at or below 0° than 80% of U.S. towns
4
days that reach 90°
96th fewest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Fewer 90° days than 92% of U.S. towns
0
days that reach 100°
None in a normal year
6bUSDA zone
Plant hardiness zone 6b

The 2023 USDA map puts Mocanaqua’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

29
JFMAMJJASOND

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more

1.8
JFMAMJJASOND
Rain & snow

About 36 inches of snow a winter

Snow, measured at Shickshinny 3 N, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.

45"
Rain + melted snow a year
486th wettest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Wetter than 59% of U.S. towns
36"
Snow in a normal winter
259th snowiest of 905 in Pennsylvania
More snow than 69% of U.S. towns
52 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
141st most of 745 in Pennsylvania
More days with snow on the ground than 74% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water

4.6"
JFMAMJJASOND

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow

11"
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Mocanaqua

94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.

6,703 heating degree daysMore heating than 82% of U.S. towns
406 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 91% of U.S. towns

Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Benton 3 Ne, PA.

Living here

Living with Mocanaqua’s climate

What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.

The garden window

159 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 11.

Get outside

Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.

Parks & trails →
Storms and extremes

Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mocanaqua from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.

Natural hazards →
Next door

Mocanaqua and its neighbors

Every town next door is within a degree of Mocanaqua in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.

Union Township: January low 18°, July high 83°Slocum Township: January low 18°, July high 82°Nescopeck Township: January low 18°, July high 83°Hollenback Township: January low 18°, July high 82°Dorrance Township: January low 18°, July high 82°Shickshinny: January low 18°, July high 83°Nescopeck: January low 19°, July high 85°Briar Creek Township: January low 18°, July high 82°East Berwick: January low 19°, July high 85°Huntington Township: January low 18°, July high 83°Conyngham Township: January low 18°, July high 83°Salem Township: January low 18°, July high 82°Mocanaqua: January low 18°, July high 83°MocanaquaConyngham TownshipSalem Township
ColderMilder18° to 19°
Salem Township17.9° about the same
Conyngham Township18.0° about the same
Mocanaqua18.1°

Climates most like Mocanaqua’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.

TownJan. lowJuly highPrecip.Snow
Mocanaqua, PA18°83°45"36"
Griswold, CT19°83°47"38"
Granby, MA16°84°45"37"
Kokomo, IN18°84°42"34"
Hopkinton, RI20°82°47"35"

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.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

The last 30 years in Mocanaqua averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).

+1.4°1991–2020 vs. 1901–2000

A bigger shift than in 53% of U.S. towns.

Winter+2.5°now 29°, was 26°
Spring+1.1°now 48°, was 47°
Summer+1.0°now 70°, was 69°
Fall+1.1°now 51°, was 50°

Change by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.

Compared with other towns

How Mocanaqua compares

Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mocanaqua’s place among Pennsylvania’s.

Summer heat83° July high
Cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns225th coolest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Winter cold18° January low
Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns169th coldest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Precipitation45" a year
Wetter than 59% of U.S. towns486th wettest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Snow36" a winter
More snow than 69% of U.S. towns259th snowiest of 905 in Pennsylvania
Hot days4 days at 90°+
Fewer 90° days than 92% of U.S. towns96th fewest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Freezing nights145 a year
More freezing nights than 81% of U.S. towns94th most of 915 in Pennsylvania
Growing season159 frost-free days
A shorter frost-free season than 85% of U.S. towns87th shortest of 915 in Pennsylvania
Month by month

Mocanaqua weather by month

Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mocanaqua’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shickshinny 3 N, PA. 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January34°18°3.2"10.7"101817° – 35°
February37°19°2.4"10.2"81616° – 35°
March46°26°3.3"6.0"9829° – 48°
April60°36°4.0"0.8"10043° – 53°
May71°47°3.9"0.0"11054° – 65°
June79°56°4.3"0.0"11064° – 71°
July83°61°4.3"0.0"10068° – 76°
August81°59°4.1"0.0"10066° – 73°
September74°52°4.6"0.0"9060° – 67°
October62°40°4.1"0.2"9046° – 58°
November49°31°3.2"1.1"8234° – 46°
December39°24°3.4"6.6"10923° – 43°
Year60°39°44.8"35.6"11652
Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Sources

Where Mocanaqua’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 Mocanaqua’s center.
  • Snow: Shickshinny 3 N, PA.
  • Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Benton 3 Ne, PA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher; 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 Mocanaqua’s climate

What is the weather like in Mocanaqua?

A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.

How cold does it get in Mocanaqua in winter?

January nights average 18°. About 145 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.

How much snow does Mocanaqua get?

About 36 inches in a normal winter at Shickshinny 3 N, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.

How hot does it get in Mocanaqua?

July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Benton 3 Ne, PA).

When is the first and last frost in Mocanaqua?

In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 159 frost-free days, at Benton 3 Ne, PA.

What growing zone is Mocanaqua in?

Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.

What is the best time of year to visit Mocanaqua?

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 Mocanaqua getting warmer?

Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.

Neighbors talk weather

Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mocanaqua.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

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.