Old Forge, NY Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Old Forge's primary NOAA station, OLD FORGE.
The climate verdict for Old Forge
Water is the standout signal in Old Forge, New York: 49.8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 42°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 42°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 49.8"
- annual precipitation · 158" snow
- 135 days
- frost-free growing season
Old Forge: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00306184 · Old Forge, NY 42°F mean · 49.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 42°F
- RANK-COOL #549
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Johnson
- PRCP-MID 49.8"
- SWING-WIDE 49°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,686 HDD
- STN-1 USC00306184
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Johnson, VT (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NY station list.
- Old Forge (this station) 42°F
- Hot Maybell, CO 42°F
- Near Johnson, VT 42°F
- Near Judith Gap, MT 42°F
- Cold Corinth, VT 41°F
Climate Living Index · Old Forge
Old Forge: 20/100 · grade F
Old Forge publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Old Forge, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 49.8 in · 14.8 from 35 in | 48/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 178 calendar days | 26/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 135 days/year | 15/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 41.5°F · 26.0° from 67.5°F | 8/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 157.9 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Old Forge · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Old Forge is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 15.8°F and warmest-month mean 64.6°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 64.6°F
- Coldest month
- 15.8°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Old Forge sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Old Forge's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 92%
- Among 6,861 stations, Old Forge sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 20% wettest
- Old Forge's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 77%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Old Forge is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Old Forge compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Old Forge's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F (-3°C) | 6°F (-15°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 4.3" | 46.7" | 29.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 29°F (-2°C) | 7°F (-14°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 3.2" | 30.9" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 36°F (2°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 3.2" | 22.6" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 50°F (10°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 3.6" | 5.3" | 21.4 | 0.0 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 4.5" | 0.5" | 6.9 | 0.1 |
| June | 71°F (22°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 4.7" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| July | 75°F (24°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| August | 74°F (23°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| September | 67°F (20°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 55°F (13°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 5.2" | 2.2" | 13.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 42°F (6°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 4.2" | 14.9" | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (0°C) | 15°F (-10°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 4.1" | 34.8" | 29.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 75°F around July 17, short of 90°F on every date, while 178 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 4°F near January 25.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 21, then returns to freezing around October 27, covering 178 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is January 8, when 63% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 30 at 37%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 172 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 12 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Old Forge.
Where Old Forge Stands Nationally
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 50 inches.
Old Forge earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 46.7"
19.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 30.9"
15.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 22.6"
13.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.3"
12.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
13.8 days with precipitation
12.4 days with precipitation
12.7 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
14.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 14.9"
15.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 34.8"
18.1 days with precipitation
Old Forge spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 27% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Old Forge has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 48.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 5.2" and March 3.2". The three wettest months together take 29% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Old Forge's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 172 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 49.8" between them, or roughly 0.29 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Old Forge
Old Forge averages 157.9 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 66 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 157.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 66 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 32% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 30
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 18
50% probability date
Growing Season
135 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,686
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
170
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NY closest to Old Forge on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (42°F here).
- Forman, ND 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Hebron, ND 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Ladysmith, WI 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Lakewood, WI 42°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (49.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Chesterfield, SC 49.8" · 0.0" off
- Glennville, GA 49.8" · 0.0" off
- Sandy Springs, SC 49.8" · 0.0" off
- Grantsville, WV 49.7" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Old Forge
heating led · wet · mid swing
Old Forge's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,686 annual heating degree days against 170 for cooling. Its 48.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 135 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Old Forge coldest normal
January
Averaging 16°F (-9°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Old Forge typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Old Forge snow peak
January
Old Forge averages 157.9 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Old Forge's climate
How much snow does Old Forge get? ▼
How cold does Old Forge get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Old Forge? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Old Forge's primary station: OLD FORGE (USC00306184). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as a census-designated place (GEOID 3654639), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Old Forge: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Old Forge comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.