Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0The climate in Shade Gap sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 21°. The wettest month is September; the driest is February. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Shade Gap at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shade Gap’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shade Gap’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Shade Gap feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shippensburg, PA, 20 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shade Gap’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shade Gap
84% of the work is heating. 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 Shippensburg, PA.
Living with Shade Gap’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shade Gap from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shade Gap and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shade Gap yet.
Climates most like Shade Gap’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shade Gap, PA | 21° | 85° | 42" | 31" |
| Reynoldsburg, OH | 21° | 84° | 43" | 28" |
| McCordsville, IN | 20° | 85° | 44" | 27" |
| Melville, NY | 24° | 84° | 45" | 32" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Shade Gap averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 53% 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 Shade Gap compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shade Gap’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Shade Gap weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shade Gap’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 2.8" | 10.0" | 10 | 11 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.5" | 8.0" | 9 | 11 | 20° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 3.5" | 6.0" | 10 | 5 | 34° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.7" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 60° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 3.1" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 26° | 3.2" | 5.5" | 9 | 5 | 25° – 42° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 42.2" | 30.8" | 117 | 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°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Shade Gap’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 Shade Gap’s center.
- Snow: Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shippensburg, PA, 20 miles from the town’s center, 360 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 Shade Gap’s climate
What is the weather like in Shade Gap?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shade Gap in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Shade Gap get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Chambersburg 1 Ese, PA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shade Gap?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 30 days a year reach 90° (Shippensburg, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Shade Gap?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 188 frost-free days, at Shippensburg, PA.
What growing zone is Shade Gap in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shade Gap?
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 Shade Gap getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shade Gap.
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.