Photo: . The original uploader was Bowie60 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0Tower City has cooler summers than 84% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 19°. Winter and summer sit 62° apart. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 81% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 1; autumn frost returns near October 16.
A year in Tower City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tower City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tower City’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Tower City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dehart Dam, PA, 14 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tower City’s center in zone 6b: 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dehart Dam, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 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 Tower City
90% 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 Dehart Dam, PA.
Living with Tower City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 1 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 16.
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 Tower City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tower City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tower City yet.
Climates most like Tower City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower City, PA | 19° | 82° | 49" | 28" |
| Exeter, RI | 20° | 82° | 50" | 35" |
| East Haddam, CT | 20° | 83° | 49" | 28" |
| Carver, MA | 21° | 83° | 51" | 31" |
| Putnam Valley, NY | 19° | 83° | 49" | 36" |
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 Tower City averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Tower City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tower City’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Tower City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tower City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dehart Dam, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 19° | 3.6" | 8.4" | 9 | 12 | 17° – 35° |
| February | 37° | 21° | 2.7" | 8.3" | 8 | 14 | 17° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 28° | 4.2" | 5.1" | 9 | 5 | 31° – 47° |
| April | 59° | 38° | 4.1" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| June | 77° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 53° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 33° | 3.5" | 0.8" | 8 | 0 | 36° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 3.9" | 4.4" | 9 | 5 | 23° – 41° |
| Year | 59° | 41° | 49.1" | 27.6" | 117 | 36 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Tower City’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 Tower City’s center.
- Snow: Dehart Dam, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dehart Dam, PA, 14 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 Tower City’s climate
What is the weather like in Tower City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tower City in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 128 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Tower City get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Dehart Dam, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tower City?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Dehart Dam, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Tower City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 168 frost-free days, at Dehart Dam, PA.
What growing zone is Tower City in?
Zone 6b 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 Tower City?
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 Tower City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tower City.
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.