Oswego, 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 Oswego's primary NOAA station, OSWEGO.
The climate verdict for Oswego
Oswego, New York has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 49°F. Its climate comfort score of 58/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 49°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 58/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 43.1"
- annual precipitation · 140" snow
- 190 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Oswego: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00306314 · Oswego, NY 49°F mean · 43.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 49°F
- RANK-COOL #2,333
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Penn Yan
- PRCP-MID 43.1"
- SWING-WIDE 47°F
- COMF-MID 58/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,499 HDD
- STN-1 USC00306314
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Penn Yan, NY (+ 0 °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.
- Oswego (this station) 49°F
- Cold Hazelton, ID 49°F
- Hot Port Jervis, NY 49°F
- Near Penn Yan, NY 49°F
- Near Chippewa Lake, OH 49°F
Climate Living Index · Oswego
Oswego: 47/100 · grade D
Oswego publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Oswego, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 58/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 43.1 in · 8.1 from 35 in | 71/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 127 calendar days | 60/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 190 days/year | 57/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 48.7°F · 18.8° from 67.5°F | 35/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 140.1 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Oswego · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Oswego is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 25.0°F and warmest-month mean 71.5°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
- 71.5°F
- Coldest month
- 25.0°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 Oswego sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Oswego's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 34th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 64th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 66th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Oswego compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Oswego's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
58 37th percentile score exceeds 37% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Oswego's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 145 complete annual observations from 1871 to 2025, OSWEGO warmed at a fitted rate of 0.14°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Oswego primary station fitted change +0.14 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F (0°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 3.8" | 44.7" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 33°F (1°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 2.9" | 35.3" | 24.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 41°F (5°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 3.0" | 17.1" | 21.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (12°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.5" | 2.8" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| July | 80°F (26°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 4.6" | 0.2" | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 47°F (8°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 4.1" | 9.4" | 11.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 37°F (3°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 3.9" | 30.6" | 23.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 80°F around July 15, short of 90°F on every date, while 127 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 18°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 31, then returns to freezing around November 26, covering 127 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 6, when 64% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 30 at 34%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 173 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 15 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 18°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Oswego.
Where Oswego Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 18°F.
Oswego 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: 44.7"
20.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 35.3"
16.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.1"
14.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
13.8 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
11.8 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
10.9 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
15.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.4"
16.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 30.6"
18.8 days with precipitation
Oswego spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 24% of the annual total and December through February 24%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Oswego has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 46.5°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 4.6" and February 2.9". 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 Oswego's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 172 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 43.1" between them, or roughly 0.25 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 Oswego
Oswego averages 140.1 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 62 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: 140.1 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 62 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
October 29
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
190 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,499
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
587
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NY closest to Oswego 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 (49°F here).
- Clarkson, NE 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Cuba, NM 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Dove Creek, CO 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Guernsey, WY 49°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (43.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Oswayo, PA 43.1" · 0.0" off
- Shelbyville, IN 43.1" · 0.0" off
- California, MO 43.1" · 0.0" off
- Muskogee, OK 43.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Oswego
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Oswego's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,499 annual heating degree days against 587 for cooling. Its 46.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Oswego's frost-free season lasts about 190 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Oswego coldest normal
January
Averaging 25°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Oswego typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Oswego snow peak
January
Oswego averages 140.1 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Oswego's climate
How much snow does Oswego get? ▼
How cold does Oswego get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Oswego? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Oswego's primary station: OSWEGO (USC00306314). 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 an incorporated place (GEOID 3655574). Match rule for Oswego: 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 Oswego 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.