Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWeather without surprises: Stowe keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 66°. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 66% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 20, with the first autumn frost due around October 23.
A year in Stowe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stowe’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stowe’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Stowe feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pottstown Limerick Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stowe’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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bechtelsville 1ene, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stowe
87% 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 Pottstown Limerick Airport.
Living with Stowe’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stowe from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stowe and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Stowe in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Stowe’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stowe, PA | 22° | 88° | 46" | 4.2" |
| Marshfield, MO | 23° | 87° | 46" | 5.2" |
| Centralia, IL | 23° | 87° | 45" | 6.5" |
| Ashland, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 6.2" |
| Ironton, OH | 24° | 87° | 44" | 6.2" |
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 Stowe averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Stowe compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stowe’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Stowe weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stowe’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bechtelsville 1ene, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 22° | 3.1" | 1.4" | 8 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 2.7" | 1.9" | 5 | 22° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 9 | 35° – 50° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 48° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 88° | 65° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 56° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 71° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 39° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 27° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 8 | 28° – 47° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 46.1" | 4.2" | 94 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Stowe’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 Stowe’s center.
- Snow: Bechtelsville 1ene, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pottstown Limerick Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Stowe’s climate
What is the weather like in Stowe?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stowe in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 111 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Stowe get?
About 4.2 inches in a normal winter at Bechtelsville 1ene, PA, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Stowe?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 65°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Pottstown Limerick Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Stowe?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 186 frost-free days, at Pottstown Limerick Airport.
What growing zone is Stowe 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 Stowe?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stowe getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stowe.
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.