Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Polk has cooler summers than 81% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 18°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 64° apart. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 70% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Polk at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Polk’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Polk’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Polk feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Franklin, PA, 6 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Polk’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Franklin, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 170 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Polk
92% 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 Franklin, PA.
Living with Polk’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 2 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Polk from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Polk and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Polk in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Polk’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk, PA | 18° | 82° | 45" | 54" |
| Groveland, MA | 17° | 82° | 47" | 58" |
| Plattekill, NY | 17° | 83° | 45" | 59" |
| Ellington, CT | 18° | 83° | 48" | 52" |
| Atkinson, NH | 16° | 83° | 46" | 58" |
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 Polk averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Polk compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Polk’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Polk weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Polk’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Franklin, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 3.3" | 17.9" | 18 | 19 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 19° | 2.5" | 11.5" | 15 | 16 | 13° – 37° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 3.4" | 8.9" | 14 | 8 | 29° – 48° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 4.1" | 1.1" | 14 | 1 | 42° – 53° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| June | 78° | 55° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 82° | 59° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 74° | 51° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 32° | 3.3" | 2.6" | 14 | 2 | 34° – 46° |
| December | 38° | 24° | 3.3" | 11.7" | 17 | 10 | 21° – 42° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 45.0" | 53.7" | 170 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 37°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Polk’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 Polk’s center.
- Snow: Franklin, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Franklin, PA, 6 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Polk’s climate
What is the weather like in Polk?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Polk in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 142 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Polk get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Franklin, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Polk?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 59°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Franklin, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Polk?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 171 frost-free days, at Franklin, PA.
What growing zone is Polk in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Polk?
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 Polk getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Polk.
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.