Photo: Gerry Dincher from Hope Mills, NC · CC BY-SA 2.0Weather without surprises: New Buffalo keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. Temperatures cover 63° across the year, low to high. From April to June and August to October, highs of 63–84° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in New Buffalo at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about New Buffalo’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with New Buffalo’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in New Buffalo feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dehart Dam, PA, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts New Buffalo’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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Harrisburg 1 Ne, 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 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in New Buffalo
90% 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 Dehart Dam, PA.
Living with New Buffalo’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 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 Oct 16.
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 New Buffalo from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →New Buffalo and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of New Buffalo in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like New Buffalo’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Buffalo, PA | 22° | 86° | 44" | 24" |
| Francisville, KY | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Delhi Hills, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
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.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in New Buffalo averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 New Buffalo compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with New Buffalo’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
New Buffalo weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at New Buffalo’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Harrisburg 1 Ne, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 22° | 3.1" | 6.4" | 10 | 10 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 2.5" | 7.7" | 9 | 12 | 20° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 31° | 3.7" | 4.5" | 9 | 4 | 34° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 56° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.7" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 27° | 3.3" | 4.2" | 10 | 5 | 26° – 44° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 44.3" | 23.9" | 125 | 31 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where New Buffalo’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 New Buffalo’s center.
- Snow: Harrisburg 1 Ne, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dehart Dam, PA, 12 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 New Buffalo’s climate
What is the weather like in New Buffalo?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in New Buffalo in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 128 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does New Buffalo get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Harrisburg 1 Ne, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in New Buffalo?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Dehart Dam, PA).
When is the first and last frost in New Buffalo?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 168 frost-free days, at Dehart Dam, PA.
What growing zone is New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo?
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 New Buffalo getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in New Buffalo.
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.