Saranac Lake, New York climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Saranac Lake's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 36.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.3°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 25°C, 930 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSaranac Lake Adirondack Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00094740
- Location44.39°N 74.21°W
- Elevation1,663 ft (507 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population4,856
On October 14, the normal high in Saranac Lake is 55°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 52%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Saranac Lake.
- Jan 25° 2°
- Feb 28° 3°
- Mar 37° 12°
- Apr 50° 26°
- May 64° 37°
- Jun 72° 46°
- Jul 77° 51°
- Aug 75° 49°
- Sep 68° 41°
- Oct 54° 32°
- Nov 42° 22°
- Dec 30° 11°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Saranac Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.36 in), the least in February (1.50 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 2°F | 13.6°F | 1.94 | 14 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 3°F | 15.3°F | 1.50 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 37°F | 12°F | 24.1°F | 2.04 | 14 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 26°F | 38.2°F | 3.09 | 16 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 64°F | 37°F | 50.5°F | 3.70 | 15 | <1 | 12 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 72°F | 46°F | 59.4°F | 4.36 | 17 | <1 | 2 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 77°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | 4.06 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 75°F | 49°F | 61.7°F | 3.56 | 17 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 41°F | 54.4°F | 3.47 | 13 | <1 | 6 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 32°F | 43.3°F | 3.85 | 16 | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 22°F | 31.9°F | 2.84 | 16 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 30°F | 11°F | 20.7°F | 2.20 | 18 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 28°F | 39.7°F | 36.61 | 184 | 1 | 201 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −16°C | −10.2°C | 49 mm |
| February | −2°C | −16°C | −9.3°C | 38 mm |
| March | 3°C | −11°C | −4.4°C | 52 mm |
| April | 10°C | −3°C | 3.4°C | 78 mm |
| May | 18°C | 3°C | 10.3°C | 94 mm |
| June | 22°C | 8°C | 15.2°C | 111 mm |
| July | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 103 mm |
| August | 24°C | 9°C | 16.5°C | 90 mm |
| September | 20°C | 5°C | 12.4°C | 88 mm |
| October | 12°C | 0°C | 6.3°C | 98 mm |
| November | 5°C | −5°C | −0.1°C | 72 mm |
| December | −1°C | −12°C | −6.3°C | 56 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lake Placid (12 miles away), gets 104 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094740; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Saranac Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (13).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094740.
When is the last frost in Saranac Lake?
In Saranac Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 2 in half of years and after June 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 9 in half of years and before August 26 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- June 21 year in 10 after June 19; 9 in 10 after May 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 91 year in 10 before August 26; 9 in 10 before September 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 97 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 123 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 21 in half of springs and before September 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Saranac Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 12983, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Saranac Lake's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −30°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New York · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00094740; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Saranac Lake?
In a normal year in Saranac Lake, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 201 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 184 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 201a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 81high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 184a normal year
The highest temperature in Saranac Lake's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1903) is 101°F, on June 29, 1933; the lowest is −46°F, on January 19, 1904.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1954, with 52.72 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 176.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094740; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record SLKthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Saranac Lake?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Saranac Lake, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (74%) and December the cloudiest (50%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.4 |
| February | 60% | 2.2 |
| March | 64% | 3.4 |
| April | 64% | 4.4 |
| May | 66% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 74% | 5.7 |
| August | 74% | 5.0 |
| September | 74% | 4.0 |
| October | 61% | 2.4 |
| November | 57% | 1.5 |
| December | 50% | 1.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Saranac Lake need?
A normal year in Saranac Lake brings 9,302 heating degree days, 73% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 120 cooling degree days, 87% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,418 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,593 | 0 |
| February | 1,393 | 0 |
| March | 1,269 | 0 |
| April | 806 | 0 |
| May | 455 | 4 |
| June | 195 | 25 |
| July | 91 | 50 |
| August | 135 | 32 |
| September | 326 | 9 |
| October | 673 | 0 |
| November | 993 | 0 |
| December | 1,373 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,302 | 120 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094740. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Saranac Lake been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 40.1°F, 0.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.7°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.4°F | +1.7°F | 32.87 |
| 2022 | 40.8°F | +1.1°F | 38.15 |
| 2023 | 42.4°F | +2.7°F | 42.52 |
| 2024 | 43.4°F | +3.7°F | 37.65 |
| 2025 | 40.1°F | +0.4°F | 32.91 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094740. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Saranac Lake's climate compare?
Saranac Lake is warmer than 0 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in New York, and wetter than 17. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.7°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Saranac Lake is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Saranac Lake share this climate record?
Paul Smiths has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Paul Smiths, NY594 people · 4 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Saranac Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Saranac Lake?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 51°F at night).
Does it snow in Saranac Lake?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Saranac Lake's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lake Placid (12 miles away), records 104 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Saranac Lake?
June, with 4.36 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.50 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Saranac Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Saranac Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 12983, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Saranac Lake's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −30°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Saranac Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 2; in one year in ten it comes after June 19. Waiting until June 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- New York climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ray Brook, NY8 miles from this station, 39.9°F a year
- Lake Placid, NY12 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Tupper Lake, NY16 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Newcomb, NY29 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made