Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0Afternoon heat in Ashaway trails that of 80% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 21°. Seasons differ by 61°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 64% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Ashaway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ashaway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ashaway’s place in Rhode Island beside it.
What a year in Ashaway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Westerly State Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ashaway’s center in zone 7a: 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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kingston, RI, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; March is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ashaway
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 Westerly State Airport.
Living with Ashaway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ashaway from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ashaway and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ashaway in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ashaway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashaway, RI | 21° | 82° | 46" | 35" |
| Shamokin, PA | 19° | 82° | 46" | 34" |
| Bluefield, WV | 23° | 81° | 42" | 40" |
| Newton, NJ | 18° | 83° | 47" | 39" |
| Louisville, OH | 20° | 83° | 41" | 32" |
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 Ashaway averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 97% 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 Ashaway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ashaway’s place among Rhode Island’s.
Ashaway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ashaway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingston, RI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 21° | 3.6" | 10.0" | 11 | 10 | 21° – 36° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 3.1" | 9.9" | 9 | 9 | 19° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 29° | 4.5" | 6.2" | 10 | 5 | 32° – 46° |
| April | 58° | 38° | 4.1" | 1.1" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 69° |
| July | 82° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 81° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 74° | 54° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.7" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 4.4" | 6.6" | 11 | 5 | 29° – 46° |
| Year | 60° | 41° | 45.8" | 34.5" | 128 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Ashaway’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 Ashaway’s center.
- Snow: Kingston, RI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Westerly State Airport, 5 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 Ashaway’s climate
What is the weather like in Ashaway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ashaway in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Ashaway get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Kingston, RI, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ashaway?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 63°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Westerly State Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ashaway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 201 frost-free days, at Westerly State Airport.
What growing zone is Ashaway in?
Zone 7a 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 Ashaway?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ashaway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ashaway.
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.