Photo: Gerry Dincher from Quincy, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0No extremes in Watsontown: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 20°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 62% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 24 to October 23.
A year in Watsontown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Watsontown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Watsontown’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Watsontown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Williamsport, PA, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Watsontown’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 Williamsport, PA, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Watsontown
88% 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 Williamsport, PA.
Living with Watsontown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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: May, June, August, September and October. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Watsontown 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 →Watsontown and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Watsontown in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Watsontown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsontown, PA | 20° | 85° | 44" | 36" |
| Wappinger, NY | 19° | 85° | 44" | 36" |
| Middletown, CT | 20° | 85° | 46" | 39" |
| Hartford City, IN | 19° | 84° | 41" | 32" |
| Reynoldsburg, OH | 21° | 84° | 43" | 28" |
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 Watsontown averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A smaller 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 Watsontown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Watsontown’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Watsontown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Watsontown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williamsport, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 3.1" | 9.7" | 12 | 11 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 21° | 2.4" | 9.3" | 10 | 13 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 3.3" | 7.3" | 12 | 6 | 32° – 49° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 3.7" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 48° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 72° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 32° | 3.1" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 25° | 3.3" | 6.9" | 12 | 6 | 24° – 42° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 43.5" | 35.8" | 137 | 37 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Watsontown’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 Watsontown’s center.
- Snow: Williamsport, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Williamsport, PA, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Watsontown’s climate
What is the weather like in Watsontown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Watsontown in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 122 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 18°.
How much snow does Watsontown get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Williamsport, PA, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 37 days a year.
How hot does it get in Watsontown?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Williamsport, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Watsontown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 180 frost-free days, at Williamsport, PA.
What growing zone is Watsontown in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Watsontown?
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 Watsontown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Watsontown.
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.