No extremes in Wayne Heights: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 64° apart. Tender plants can go out after about April 25; in half of years the first frost comes by October 19.
A year in Wayne Heights at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wayne Heights’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wayne Heights’ place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Wayne Heights feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Smithsburg 2nw, MD, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wayne Heights’ center in zone 7a: 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Emmitsburg 2 Se, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 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 Wayne Heights
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 Smithsburg 2nw, MD.
Living with Wayne Heights’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 1.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wayne Heights from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wayne Heights and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Wayne Heights in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Wayne Heights’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Heights, PA | 23° | 86° | 43" | 28" |
| Newport, KY | 24° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Forestville, OH | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
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 Wayne Heights averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Wayne Heights compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wayne Heights’ place among Pennsylvania’s.
Wayne Heights weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wayne Heights’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Emmitsburg 2 Se, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 23° | 3.0" | 8.7" | 9 | 6 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 2.4" | 8.8" | 8 | 8 | 22° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 3.6" | 4.4" | 10 | 3 | 36° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 50° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.1" | 0.8" | 8 | 0 | 37° – 50° |
| December | 43° | 27° | 3.5" | 4.5" | 9 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 43.2" | 27.5" | 117 | 21 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 45°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wayne Heights’ 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 Wayne Heights’ center.
- Snow: Emmitsburg 2 Se, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Smithsburg 2nw, MD, 6 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 Wayne Heights’ climate
What is the weather like in Wayne Heights?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wayne Heights in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Wayne Heights get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Emmitsburg 2 Se, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wayne Heights?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Smithsburg 2nw, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Wayne Heights?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 176 frost-free days, at Smithsburg 2nw, MD.
What growing zone is Wayne Heights in?
Zone 7a 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 Wayne Heights?
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 Wayne Heights getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wayne Heights.
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.