Photo: Taber Bain · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Helvetia: 61 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 78°. July is the wettest month, October the driest. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 25 to October 19.
A year in Helvetia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Helvetia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Helvetia’s place in West Virginia beside it.
What a year in Helvetia 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 Pickens 2 N, WV, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, 420 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Helvetia’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 69 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Elkins Randolph Co Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 61 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 173 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Helvetia
94% 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 Pickens 2 N, WV.
Living with Helvetia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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: May, June, July, August, September and October. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Helvetia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (90%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Helvetia and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Helvetia yet.
Climates most like Helvetia’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helvetia, WV | 20° | 78° | 61" | 69" |
| Liberty, NY | 14° | 78° | 53" | 70" |
| Paxton, MA | 15° | 80° | 51" | 73" |
| Scituate, RI | 19° | 82° | 51" | 62" |
| Harwinton, CT | 16° | 82° | 53" | 59" |
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 Helvetia averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Helvetia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Helvetia’s place among West Virginia’s.
Helvetia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Helvetia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Elkins Randolph Co Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 20° | 4.8" | 20.3" | 17 | 15 | 21° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 4.5" | 15.4" | 16 | 11 | 20° – 41° |
| March | 49° | 30° | 5.2" | 11.4" | 17 | 6 | 32° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 5.1" | 2.3" | 15 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 6.3" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 52° – 66° |
| June | 75° | 55° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| July | 78° | 59° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 77° | 58° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 4.2" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 32° | 4.2" | 4.1" | 12 | 3 | 35° – 47° |
| December | 42° | 25° | 5.1" | 14.5" | 16 | 9 | 21° – 45° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 61.2" | 68.9" | 173 | 45 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Helvetia’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 Helvetia’s center.
- Snow: Elkins Randolph Co Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pickens 2 N, WV, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, 420 ft higher; 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 Helvetia’s climate
What is the weather like in Helvetia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 69 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Helvetia in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Helvetia get?
About 69 inches in a normal winter at Elkins Randolph Co Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 45 days a year.
How hot does it get in Helvetia?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Pickens 2 N, WV.
When is the first and last frost in Helvetia?
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 Pickens 2 N, WV.
What growing zone is Helvetia in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Helvetia?
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 Helvetia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Helvetia.
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.