Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Salem Township’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Salem Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salem Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salem Township’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Salem Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 154 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mt Pocono Mountains Airport, 18 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salem Township’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hawley 1 E, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salem Township
96% 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 Mt Pocono Mountains Airport.
Living with Salem Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
154 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 6 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salem Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salem Township and its neighbors
Jefferson Township has the coldest January nights next door (14°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Salem Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township, PA | 16° | 80° | 47" | 47" |
| Winchendon, MA | 13° | 81° | 47" | 51" |
| Kittery, ME | 16° | 80° | 48" | 56" |
| Portsmouth, NH | 16° | 80° | 48" | 56" |
| Woodstock, CT | 17° | 81° | 50" | 52" |
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 Salem Township averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Salem Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salem Township’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Salem Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salem Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hawley 1 E, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 16° | 3.2" | 13.0" | 11 | 21 | 14° – 32° |
| February | 35° | 17° | 2.7" | 13.2" | 9 | 22 | 13° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 24° | 3.6" | 9.4" | 10 | 14 | 27° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 33° | 3.9" | 1.1" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 44° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 76° | 53° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| July | 80° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 78° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 72° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 48° | 29° | 3.3" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 32° – 43° |
| December | 37° | 22° | 3.6" | 9.1" | 12 | 13 | 21° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 36° | 46.6" | 47.1" | 129 | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Salem Township’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 Salem Township’s center.
- Snow: Hawley 1 E, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Pocono Mountains Airport, 18 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft higher; 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 Salem Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Salem Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salem Township in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Salem Township get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Hawley 1 E, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 71 days a year.
How hot does it get in Salem Township?
July, with a typical high of 80°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Mt Pocono Mountains Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Salem Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 154 frost-free days, at Mt Pocono Mountains Airport.
What growing zone is Salem Township in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salem Township?
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 Salem Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salem Township.
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.