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Climate in Natrona · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

Natrona’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.

A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

More snow than 60% of U.S. towns#497Snowiest  of 994 in PA
Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns#472 coldest of 1,006 in PA
All PA rankings →

A year in Natrona at a glance

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

Jan37°21° 7" snow
Feb41°22° 8" snow
Mar50°29° 6" snow
Apr64°39° Last frost ~Apr 16
May73°48° 1 day 90°+
Jun81°57° 2 days 90°+Wettest
Jul85°61° 6 days 90°+
Aug83°60° 3 days 90°+
Sep77°53° 2 days 90°+
Oct65°42°
Nov now52°33° First frost ~Nov 2
Dec42°26° 6" snow

What stands out about Natrona’s climate

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

A normal year

What a year in Natrona feels like

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

Winter
40° / 23°
12 days with 1"+ of snow
Spring
62° / 39°
Last frost around Apr 16
Summer
83° / 60°
14 days reach 90°
Fall
65° / 43°
First frost around Nov 2
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Frost, heat & the growing season

About 199 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Natrona Lock 4, PA, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.

Short record. NOAA estimated Natrona Lock 4, PA’s counts from 8 years of data and its neighbors’, not a full 30-year record.
117
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
694th most of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
More freezing nights than 53% of U.S. towns
4
nights at or below 0°
217th most of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
More nights at or below 0° than 63% of U.S. towns
14
days that reach 90°
404th fewest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Fewer 90° days than 64% 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 Natrona’s center in zone 6b: 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°

26
JFMAMJJASOND

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more

6.1
JFMAMJJASOND
Rain & snow

About 29 inches of snow a winter

Snow, measured at Salina 3 W, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 168 days a year.

42"
Rain + melted snow a year
151st driest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Drier than 53% of U.S. towns
29"
Snow in a normal winter
497th snowiest of 994 in Pennsylvania
More snow than 60% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water

4.6"
JFMAMJJASOND

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow

8"
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Natrona

88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.

5,680 heating degree daysMore heating than 59% of U.S. towns
788 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 61% 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 Natrona Lock 4, PA.

Living here

Living with Natrona’s climate

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

The garden window

199 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 16 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 2.

Get outside

Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.

Parks & trails →
Storms and extremes

Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Natrona from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (94%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.

Natural hazards →
Next door

Natrona and its neighbors

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

Allegheny Township: January low 20°, July high 83°Tarentum: January low 21°, July high 84°Fawn Township: January low 20°, July high 84°Buffalo Township: January low 20°, July high 84°New Kensington: January low 21°, July high 85°Plum: January low 21°, July high 83°Upper Burrell Township: January low 20°, July high 84°Natrona Heights: January low 21°, July high 85°Harrison Township: January low 20°, July high 84°Lower Burrell: January low 21°, July high 84°Brackenridge: January low 21°, July high 85°Natrona: January low 21°, July high 85°NatronaNatrona HeightsHarrison TownshipLower BurrellBrackenridge
ColderMilder20° to 21°
Harrison Township20.0° about the same
Natrona20.8°
Natrona Heights20.8° about the same
Lower Burrell20.8° about the same
Brackenridge20.8° about the same

Climates most like Natrona’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
Natrona, PA21°85°42"29"
Reynoldsburg, OH21°84°43"28"
Speedway, IN20°85°43"26"
Wappinger, NY19°85°44"36"
Westminster, MD22°86°45"28"

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 Natrona averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).

+1.0°1991–2020 vs. 1901–2000

A smaller shift than in 75% of U.S. towns.

Winter+1.6°now 31°, was 30°
Spring+1.2°now 51°, was 49°
Summer+0.5°now 71°, was 71°
Fall+0.8°now 54°, was 53°

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 Natrona compares

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

Summer heat85° July high
Cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns527th coolest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Winter cold21° January low
Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns472nd coldest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Precipitation42" a year
Drier than 53% of U.S. towns151st driest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Snow29" a winter
More snow than 60% of U.S. towns497th snowiest of 994 in Pennsylvania
Hot days14 days at 90°+
Fewer 90° days than 64% of U.S. towns404th fewest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Freezing nights117 a year
More freezing nights than 53% of U.S. towns694th most of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Growing season199 frost-free days
A longer frost-free season than 66% of U.S. towns105th longest of 1,006 in Pennsylvania
Month by month

Natrona weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January37°21°3.1"7.1"1821° – 39°
February41°22°2.5"8.2"1418° – 40°
March50°29°3.2"5.5"1433° – 51°
April64°39°3.5"0.3"1546° – 56°
May73°48°3.9"0.0"1554° – 68°
June81°57°4.6"0.0"1465° – 72°
July85°61°4.4"0.0"1368° – 77°
August83°60°3.7"0.0"1267° – 76°
September77°53°3.7"0.0"1262° – 70°
October65°42°3.1"0.0"1349° – 59°
November52°33°3.1"1.8"1337° – 48°
December42°26°3.2"5.7"1624° – 45°
Year62°41°41.9"28.6"168
Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Sources

Where Natrona’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 Natrona’s center.
  • Snow: Salina 3 W, PA.
  • Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Natrona Lock 4, PA, 0.2 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 Natrona’s climate

What is the weather like in Natrona?

A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.

How cold does it get in Natrona in winter?

January nights average 21°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.

How much snow does Natrona get?

About 29 inches in a normal winter at Salina 3 W, PA, most of it in February.

How hot does it get in Natrona?

July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 61°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Natrona Lock 4, PA).

When is the first and last frost in Natrona?

In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 199 frost-free days, at Natrona Lock 4, PA.

What growing zone is Natrona in?

Zone 6b 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 Natrona?

By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.

Is Natrona getting warmer?

Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.

Neighbors talk weather

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

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.