Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Summers in Stillwater are cooler than in 74% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 18°. Seasons differ by 65°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 71% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Stillwater at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stillwater’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stillwater’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Stillwater feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Benton 3 Ne, PA, 6 miles from the town’s center, 320 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stillwater’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Shickshinny 3 N, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. 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 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stillwater
94% 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 Benton 3 Ne, PA.
Living with Stillwater’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stillwater from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (85%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stillwater and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stillwater yet.
Climates most like Stillwater’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater, PA | 18° | 83° | 47" | 36" |
| Rockville, CT | 18° | 83° | 48" | 39" |
| Peabody, MA | 19° | 82° | 48" | 39" |
| Richmond, RI | 21° | 82° | 47" | 35" |
| Durham, NH | 15° | 82° | 47" | 39" |
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 Stillwater averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Stillwater compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stillwater’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Stillwater weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stillwater’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shickshinny 3 N, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 3.3" | 10.7" | 10 | 18 | 16° – 34° |
| February | 37° | 19° | 2.6" | 10.2" | 8 | 16 | 16° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 3.4" | 6.0" | 9 | 8 | 29° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 4.0" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| October | 62° | 40° | 4.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 31° | 3.3" | 1.1" | 8 | 2 | 34° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 24° | 3.6" | 6.6" | 10 | 9 | 22° – 42° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 46.6" | 35.6" | 116 | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Stillwater’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 Stillwater’s center.
- Snow: Shickshinny 3 N, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Benton 3 Ne, PA, 6 miles from the town’s center, 320 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 Stillwater’s climate
What is the weather like in Stillwater?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stillwater in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 145 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 Stillwater get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Shickshinny 3 N, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.
How hot does it get in Stillwater?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Benton 3 Ne, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Stillwater?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 159 frost-free days, at Benton 3 Ne, PA.
What growing zone is Stillwater in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stillwater?
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 Stillwater getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stillwater.
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.