Savage River Dam, Maryland climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Savage River Dam's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 41.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.9°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,052 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSavage River Dam
- Station IDUSC00188065
- Location39.51°N 79.14°W
- Elevation1,495 ft (456 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Savage River Dam is 59°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 29%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Savage River Dam.
- Jan 36° 20°
- Feb 39° 21°
- Mar 48° 28°
- Apr 61° 37°
- May 69° 47°
- Jun 77° 56°
- Jul 81° 60°
- Aug 80° 59°
- Sep 73° 52°
- Oct 62° 41°
- Nov 50° 32°
- Dec 40° 25°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Savage River Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.62 in), the least in November (2.44 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 20°F | 28.1°F | 2.99 | 12 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 39°F | 21°F | 30.3°F | 2.64 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 28°F | 37.9°F | 3.29 | 11 | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 37°F | 49.1°F | 3.66 | 13 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 69°F | 47°F | 58.2°F | 4.58 | 14 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 77°F | 56°F | 66.4°F | 4.62 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 81°F | 60°F | 70.6°F | 4.14 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 80°F | 59°F | 69.2°F | 3.46 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 73°F | 52°F | 62.7°F | 3.75 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 41°F | 51.4°F | 2.93 | 9 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 32°F | 41.0°F | 2.44 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 10 h |
| December | 40°F | 25°F | 32.5°F | 2.91 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 40°F | 49.8°F | 41.41 | 128 | 6 | 130 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −6°C | −2.2°C | 76 mm |
| February | 4°C | −6°C | −0.9°C | 67 mm |
| March | 9°C | −2°C | 3.3°C | 84 mm |
| April | 16°C | 3°C | 9.5°C | 93 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.6°C | 116 mm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 19.1°C | 117 mm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.4°C | 105 mm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.7°C | 88 mm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 95 mm |
| October | 17°C | 5°C | 10.8°C | 74 mm |
| November | 10°C | 0°C | 5.0°C | 62 mm |
| December | 4°C | −4°C | 0.3°C | 74 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Keyser (9 miles away), gets 34 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00188065; 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.
Which months are mildest at Savage River Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00188065.
When is the last frost at Savage River Dam?
In Savage River Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 29 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 20 in half of years and before October 4 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
- April 291 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 201 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 174 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 203 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 12 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Savage River Dam in zone 6a in ZIP code 21561, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (22 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Maryland · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00188065; 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 at Savage River Dam?
In a normal year in Savage River Dam, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 130 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 128 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 130a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 31high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 128a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1951) is 101°F, on July 24, 1999; the lowest is −25°F, on January 24, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1996, with 59.24 in; the snowiest season is 1960–61, with 81.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00188065; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00188065. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Savage River Dam?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Savage River Dam, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (76%) and December the cloudiest (55%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 1.7 |
| February | 59% | 2.5 |
| March | 62% | 3.5 |
| April | 66% | 4.7 |
| May | 67% | 5.3 |
| June | 73% | 5.9 |
| July | 75% | 5.8 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 74% | 4.3 |
| October | 67% | 3.0 |
| November | 66% | 2.1 |
| December | 55% | 1.5 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Savage River Dam record?
A normal year at Savage River Dam brings 6,026 heating degree days, 12% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 512 cooling degree days, 44% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,642 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,142 | 0 |
| February | 972 | 0 |
| March | 840 | 0 |
| April | 480 | 3 |
| May | 234 | 24 |
| June | 55 | 97 |
| July | 10 | 183 |
| August | 18 | 148 |
| September | 121 | 52 |
| October | 428 | 5 |
| November | 722 | 0 |
| December | 1,006 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,026 | 512 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00188065. 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.
Have recent years at Savage River Dam been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 52.7°F, 2.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.8°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52.7°F | +2.9°F | 41.85 |
Over 57 complete years from 1953 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.2°F per century (+0.18°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00188065; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Savage River Dam's climate compare?
Savage River Dam is warmer than 2 of the 26 places with their own NOAA record in Maryland, and wetter than 3. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.8°F is warmer than 39%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Savage River Dam 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 Savage River Dam share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Piedmont, WV696 people · 5 mi SE
- Elk Garden, WV208 people · 9 mi S
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 Savage River Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Savage River Dam?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow at Savage River Dam?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Keyser (9 miles away), records 34 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Savage River Dam?
June, with 4.62 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is November with 2.44 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Savage River Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Savage River Dam in zone 6a in ZIP code 21561, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at Savage River Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 29; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maryland climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Keyser, WV9 miles from this station, 52.5°F a year
- Sines Deep Creek, MD14 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Frostburg, MD15 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Oakland, MD16 miles from this station, 49.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made