Burlington, Vermont climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Burlington's normal year runs from 13°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 37.5 inches of precipitation and 88 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.7°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 953 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBurlington International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014742
- Location44.47°N 73.15°W
- Elevation330 ft (101 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population44,432
On October 22, the normal high in Burlington is 56°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 43%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Burlington.
- Jan 29° 13°
- Feb 32° 14°
- Mar 41° 24°
- Apr 55° 36°
- May 69° 48°
- Jun 78° 57°
- Jul 82° 62°
- Aug 81° 61°
- Sep 73° 53°
- Oct 59° 42°
- Nov 46° 32°
- Dec 35° 21°
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 Burlington each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.26 in), the least in February (1.77 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 13°F | 20.9°F | 2.13 | 21.1 | 15 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 32°F | 14°F | 22.9°F | 1.77 | 19.3 | 12 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 24°F | 32.3°F | 2.24 | 17.5 | 13 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 36°F | 45.6°F | 3.07 | 4.1 | 13 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 69°F | 48°F | 58.4°F | 3.76 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 78°F | 57°F | 67.5°F | 4.26 | 0.0 | 14 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 82°F | 62°F | 72.4°F | 4.06 | 0.0 | 13 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 81°F | 61°F | 70.7°F | 3.54 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 53°F | 62.7°F | 3.67 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 59°F | 42°F | 50.3°F | 3.83 | 0.3 | 13 | <1 | 6 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 32°F | 39.3°F | 2.70 | 5.7 | 14 | <1 | 17 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 21°F | 28.2°F | 2.50 | 19.5 | 15 | <1 | 27 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 39°F | 47.6°F | 37.53 | 87.5 | 157 | 8 | 145 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −11°C | −6.2°C | 54 mm | 54 cm |
| February | 0°C | −10°C | −5.1°C | 45 mm | 49 cm |
| March | 5°C | −5°C | 0.2°C | 57 mm | 44 cm |
| April | 13°C | 2°C | 7.6°C | 78 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 14.7°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.4°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.5°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 12°C | 17.1°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 5°C | 10.2°C | 97 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | 0°C | 4.1°C | 69 mm | 14 cm |
| December | 2°C | −6°C | −2.1°C | 64 mm | 50 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014742; 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 Burlington?
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 (11).
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 USW00014742.
When is the last frost in Burlington?
In Burlington, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 29 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 in half of years and before October 2 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 11; 9 in 10 after April 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before October 2; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 169 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 193 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 18 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Burlington in zones 5a to 5b across its 3 ZIP code areas (5b in 05401, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Burlington's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (30 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 Vermont · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014742; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Burlington ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Burlington's 3 ZIP code areas run from zone 5a to 5b: 1 in 5a and 2 in 5b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Burlington?
In a normal year in Burlington, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 145 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 157 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 145a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 57high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 157a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 23a normal year
The highest temperature in Burlington's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1883) is 101°F, on August 11, 1944; the lowest is −30°F, on January 15, 1957.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 50.92 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 145.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014742; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record BTVthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Burlington, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 58°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in January (11°F). December is the windiest month (8.9 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (50%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°F | 67% | 57% | 8.1 mph | 33% | 48% |
| February | 16°F | 65% | 55% | 8.4 mph | 34% | 47% |
| March | 26°F | 60% | 46% | 8.6 mph | 39% | 41% |
| April | 36°F | 57% | 41% | 8.2 mph | 41% | 34% |
| May | 50°F | 65% | 48% | 7.6 mph | 39% | 32% |
| June | 58°F | 66% | 48% | 7.1 mph | 41% | 19% |
| July | 60°F | 69% | 50% | 6.5 mph | 42% | 16% |
| August | 56°F | 70% | 50% | 6.9 mph | 50% | 17% |
| September | 47°F | 72% | 55% | 7.3 mph | 41% | 32% |
| October | 35°F | 68% | 57% | 8.5 mph | 30% | 50% |
| November | 25°F | 70% | 63% | 8.9 mph | 18% | 59% |
| December | 16°F | 71% | 63% | 8.9 mph | 23% | 57% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014742. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Burlington?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Burlington, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (75%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 1.5 |
| February | 62% | 2.3 |
| March | 65% | 3.4 |
| April | 66% | 4.5 |
| May | 67% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 74% | 5.7 |
| August | 75% | 5.1 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 60% | 1.6 |
| December | 54% | 1.1 |
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 Burlington need?
A normal year in Burlington brings 6,960 heating degree days, 30% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 656 cooling degree days, 28% 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 2,724 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,367 | 0 |
| February | 1,179 | 0 |
| March | 1,016 | 0 |
| April | 586 | 4 |
| May | 236 | 32 |
| June | 50 | 123 |
| July | 6 | 235 |
| August | 15 | 191 |
| September | 134 | 66 |
| October | 459 | 5 |
| November | 773 | 0 |
| December | 1,142 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,960 | 656 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014742. 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 Burlington been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 48.2°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 47.6°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.4°F | +1.8°F | 35.15 | 67.3 |
| 2022 | 48.5°F | +0.9°F | 39.77 | 73.1 |
| 2023 | 50.0°F | +2.4°F | 44.78 | 63.3 |
| 2024 | 50.9°F | +3.3°F | 38.36 | 69.5 |
| 2025 | 48.2°F | +0.6°F | 38.19 | 87.0 |
Over 147 complete years from 1875 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.3°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 USW00014742; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Burlington's climate compare?
Burlington is warmer than 28 of the other 28 places with their own NOAA record in Vermont, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.6°F is warmer than 30%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Burlington is Dfa: continental, 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 Burlington 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.
- Winooski, VT8,370 people · 3 mi NW
- Richmond, VT4,157 people · 9 mi SE
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 Burlington's climate
What is the coldest month in Burlington?
January, with a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Burlington?
Yes: 88 inches in a normal year, falling on 55 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (21.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Burlington?
June, with 4.26 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.77 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Burlington in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Burlington in zones 5a to 5b across its 3 ZIP code areas (5b in 05401, the largest). By the same method at Burlington's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Burlington?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 29; in one year in ten it comes after May 11. Waiting until May 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Burlington in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Vermont climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Essex Junction, VT3 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Willsboro, NY13 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- South Hero, VT13 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Mount Mansfield, VT17 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made