Photo: Eric Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0Cranston’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cranston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cranston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cranston’s place in Rhode Island beside it.
What a year in Cranston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 199 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Providence T F Green Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cranston’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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Providence T F Green Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; March is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 127 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cranston
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 Providence T F Green Airport.
Living with Cranston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
199 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 16 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cranston from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cranston and its neighbors
Scituate has the coldest January nights next door (19°, 2° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cranston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston, RI | 20° | 83° | 49" | 37" |
| Buckhannon, WV | 23° | 83° | 50" | 39" |
| Succasunna, NJ | 19° | 83° | 51" | 30" |
| Warwick, NY | 18° | 83° | 47" | 39" |
| Stroudsburg, PA | 18° | 84° | 50" | 42" |
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 Cranston averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 92% 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 Cranston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cranston’s place among Rhode Island’s.
Cranston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cranston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Providence T F Green Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 20° | 3.9" | 10.3" | 11 | 8 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 3.5" | 10.5" | 10 | 8 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 29° | 4.8" | 6.4" | 12 | 4 | 32° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 38° | 4.5" | 0.6" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 63° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 4.3" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 26° | 4.8" | 7.6" | 12 | 4 | 28° – 45° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 49.4" | 36.6" | 127 | 25 |
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 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Cranston’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 Cranston’s center.
- Snow: Providence T F Green Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Providence T F Green Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Cranston’s climate
What is the weather like in Cranston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cranston in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Cranston get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Providence T F Green Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cranston?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 63°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Providence T F Green Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Cranston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 199 frost-free days, at Providence T F Green Airport.
What growing zone is Cranston 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 Cranston?
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 Cranston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cranston.
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.