Bedford, Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bedford's normal year runs from 28°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 46.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.9°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,176 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBedford
- Station IDUSC00440551
- Location37.33°N 79.51°W
- Elevation894 ft (273 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population7,823
On October 22, the normal high in Bedford is 67°F and the normal low 44°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bedford.
- Jan 47° 28°
- Feb 50° 29°
- Mar 58° 36°
- Apr 70° 45°
- May 75° 54°
- Jun 82° 62°
- Jul 86° 67°
- Aug 85° 65°
- Sep 79° 59°
- Oct 69° 46°
- Nov 59° 37°
- Dec 50° 31°
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 Bedford each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 28°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.71 in), the least in February (3.01 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 28°F | 37.3°F | 3.62 | – | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 50°F | 29°F | 39.2°F | 3.01 | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 36°F | 47.1°F | 3.45 | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 45°F | 57.4°F | 3.85 | – | <1 | 2 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 54°F | 64.3°F | 4.60 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 82°F | 62°F | 72.1°F | 4.71 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 86°F | 67°F | 76.5°F | 4.29 | – | 8 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 85°F | 65°F | 74.9°F | 3.81 | – | 7 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 79°F | 59°F | 68.7°F | 4.37 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 46°F | 57.5°F | 3.59 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 37°F | 48.1°F | 3.27 | – | <1 | 11 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 50°F | 31°F | 40.4°F | 3.74 | – | <1 | 19 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 47°F | 57.0°F | 46.31 | – | 19 | 85 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −2°C | 2.9°C | 92 mm |
| February | 10°C | −2°C | 4.0°C | 76 mm |
| March | 15°C | 2°C | 8.4°C | 88 mm |
| April | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 98 mm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 17.9°C | 117 mm |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.3°C | 120 mm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.7°C | 109 mm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 23.8°C | 97 mm |
| September | 26°C | 15°C | 20.4°C | 111 mm |
| October | 20°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 91 mm |
| November | 15°C | 3°C | 8.9°C | 83 mm |
| December | 10°C | 0°C | 4.7°C | 95 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lynchburg #2 (15 miles away), gets 12 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00440551; 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 Bedford?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October.
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 USC00440551.
When is the last frost in Bedford?
In Bedford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 7 in half of years and after April 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 31 in half of years and before October 16 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 71 year in 10 after April 24; 9 in 10 after March 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 311 year in 10 before October 16; 9 in 10 before November 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 204 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 225 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 29 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bedford in zone 7b in ZIP code 24523, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00440551; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Bedford?
In a normal year in Bedford, 19 days a year reach 90°F and 85 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 19a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 85a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 104°F, on July 14, 1954; the lowest is −10°F, on January 21, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1948, with 61.65 in; the snowiest season is 1986–87, with 51.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00440551; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00440551. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Bedford?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bedford, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and February the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.3 |
| February | 70% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.1 |
| April | 73% | 5.2 |
| May | 73% | 5.7 |
| June | 78% | 6.2 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.4 |
| October | 75% | 3.5 |
| November | 76% | 2.7 |
| December | 70% | 2.0 |
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 Bedford need?
A normal year in Bedford brings 4,062 heating degree days, 24% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,162 cooling degree days, 28% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,955 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 857 | 0 |
| February | 722 | 0 |
| March | 560 | 4 |
| April | 255 | 27 |
| May | 98 | 75 |
| June | 13 | 225 |
| July | 1 | 359 |
| August | 1 | 309 |
| September | 35 | 147 |
| October | 248 | 14 |
| November | 510 | 1 |
| December | 763 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,062 | 1,162 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00440551. 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.
How does Bedford's climate compare?
Bedford is warmer than 49 of the other 80 places with their own NOAA record in Virginia, and wetter than 43. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.0°F is warmer than 66%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bedford is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot 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 Bedford share this climate record?
Moneta 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.
- Moneta, VA301 people · 12 mi SW
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 Bedford's climate
What is the coldest month in Bedford?
January, with a normal high of 47°F and a normal low of 28°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Bedford?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Bedford's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lynchburg #2 (15 miles away), records 12 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Bedford?
June, with 4.71 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.01 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bedford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bedford in zone 7b in ZIP code 24523, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Bedford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 7; in one year in ten it comes after April 24. Waiting until April 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lynchburg #2, VA16 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Buchanan, VA16 miles from this station, 56.6°F a year
- Lynchburg, VA17 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Hollins, VA25 miles from this station, 55.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made