Photo: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0For weather, Mont Alto is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Nights in January average 22°. Precipitation peaks in September and eases off in February. For walks and days out, the stretch from April to June and August to October brings highs of 63–83°.
A year in Mont Alto at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mont Alto’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mont Alto’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Mont Alto feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mont Alto’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, falls mostly in January. 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 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mont Alto
85% 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 Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA.
Living with Mont Alto’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mont Alto from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mont Alto and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mont Alto yet.
Climates most like Mont Alto’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mont Alto, PA | 22° | 85° | 44" | 31" |
| Gahanna, OH | 21° | 85° | 42" | 28" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
| Cumberland, IN | 20° | 85° | 44" | 27" |
| Melville, NY | 24° | 84° | 45" | 32" |
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 Mont Alto averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Mont Alto compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mont Alto’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Mont Alto weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mont Alto’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 22° | 3.1" | 10.0" | 10 | 11 | 21° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.5" | 8.0" | 9 | 11 | 21° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 3.8" | 6.0" | 10 | 5 | 35° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.1" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 42° | 27° | 3.5" | 5.5" | 9 | 5 | 25° – 44° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 43.8" | 30.8" | 117 | 31 |
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 Mont Alto’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 Mont Alto’s center.
- Snow: Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Mont Alto’s climate
What is the weather like in Mont Alto?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 50% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mont Alto in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Mont Alto get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mont Alto?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Mont Alto?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 188 frost-free days, at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA.
What growing zone is Mont Alto in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mont Alto?
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 Mont Alto getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mont Alto.
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.