Photo: Aude · CC BY-SA 2.5Shanksville gets about 97 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 79°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 95% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.2° above 1901–2000. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Shanksville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shanksville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shanksville’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Shanksville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 5. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Laurel Summit, PA, 16 miles from the town’s center, 460 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Meyersdale 2 Ssw, PA, 18 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shanksville’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 97 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Buckstown 1 Se, PA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 164 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shanksville
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 Meyersdale 2 Ssw, PA.
Living with Shanksville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 12 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shanksville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shanksville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shanksville yet.
Climates most like Shanksville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanksville, PA | 17° | 79° | 45" | 97" |
| Marcellus, NY | 15° | 79° | 43" | 106" |
| Yarmouth, ME | 14° | 78° | 49" | 84" |
| Chardon, OH | 18° | 81° | 45" | 114" |
| Dalton, MA | 13° | 80° | 48" | 77" |
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 Shanksville averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 62% 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 Shanksville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shanksville’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Shanksville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shanksville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Buckstown 1 Se, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 17° | 3.3" | 29.0" | 18 | 16° – 33° |
| February | 37° | 19° | 3.0" | 22.7" | 14 | 16° – 37° |
| March | 45° | 25° | 3.8" | 15.1" | 14 | 29° – 47° |
| April | 58° | 36° | 3.8" | 4.2" | 13 | 42° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 75° | 54° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 60° – 67° |
| July | 79° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 64° – 73° |
| August | 77° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 39° | 3.4" | 1.2" | 12 | 46° – 55° |
| November | 48° | 30° | 2.9" | 4.9" | 13 | 32° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 22° | 3.5" | 19.8" | 16 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 57° | 37° | 44.7" | 96.9" | 164 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Shanksville’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 Shanksville’s center.
- Snow: Buckstown 1 Se, PA.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Meyersdale 2 Ssw, PA, 18 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Laurel Summit, PA, 16 miles from the town’s center, 460 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 Shanksville’s climate
What is the weather like in Shanksville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 97 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shanksville in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Shanksville get?
About 97 inches in a normal winter at Buckstown 1 Se, PA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Shanksville?
July, with a typical high of 79°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Meyersdale 2 Ssw, PA.
When is the first and last frost in Shanksville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 146 frost-free days, at Meyersdale 2 Ssw, PA.
What growing zone is Shanksville in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shanksville?
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 Shanksville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shanksville.
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.