Weather without surprises: Quarryville keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
July afternoons average 85°. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 72% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.9° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 26, with the first autumn frost due around October 22.
A year in Quarryville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Quarryville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Quarryville’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Quarryville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Octoraro Lake, PA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Quarryville’s center in zone 7a: 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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Octoraro Lake, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Quarryville
86% 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 Octoraro Lake, PA.
Living with Quarryville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 1.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Quarryville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Quarryville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Quarryville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Quarryville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarryville, PA | 22° | 85° | 47" | 18" |
| North Vernon, IN | 23° | 86° | 48" | 17" |
| Cheviot, OH | 22° | 85° | 46" | 16" |
| Erlanger, KY | 23° | 85° | 47" | 23" |
| Clarksburg, WV | 23° | 85° | 47" | 24" |
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 Quarryville averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 84% 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 Quarryville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Quarryville’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Quarryville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Quarryville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Octoraro Lake, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.3" | 5.0" | 11 | 5 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.7" | 7.1" | 10 | 5 | 21° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 4.0" | 2.6" | 11 | 2 | 35° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 41° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 51° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 35° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.9" | 3.0" | 11 | 2 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 47.3" | 18.1" | 124 | 14 |
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 Quarryville’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 Quarryville’s center.
- Snow: Octoraro Lake, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Octoraro Lake, PA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Quarryville’s climate
What is the weather like in Quarryville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Quarryville in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 125 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 22°.
How much snow does Quarryville get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Octoraro Lake, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Quarryville?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Octoraro Lake, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Quarryville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 179 frost-free days, at Octoraro Lake, PA.
What growing zone is Quarryville in?
Zone 7a 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 Quarryville?
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 Quarryville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Quarryville.
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.