Essex Junction, Vermont climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Essex Junction's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 42.3 inches of precipitation and 86 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.0°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,075 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEssex Junction (1 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00432843
- Location44.51°N 73.12°W
- Elevation340 ft (104 m)
- Population10,787
On October 23, the normal high in Essex Junction is 55°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 46%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Essex Junction.
- Jan 28° 10°
- Feb 31° 11°
- Mar 40° 21°
- Apr 54° 35°
- May 68° 47°
- Jun 77° 56°
- Jul 81° 61°
- Aug 80° 59°
- Sep 72° 52°
- Oct 58° 40°
- Nov 46° 31°
- Dec 35° 19°
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 Essex Junction each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.64 in), the least in February (2.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 10°F | 19.1°F | 2.49 | 20.4 | 16 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 11°F | 21.4°F | 2.11 | 19.2 | 12 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 40°F | 21°F | 30.8°F | 2.70 | 16.5 | 13 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 35°F | 44.6°F | 3.49 | 4.4 | 13 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 47°F | 57.4°F | 3.96 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 56°F | 66.5°F | 4.64 | 0.0 | 15 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 61°F | 71.0°F | 4.51 | 0.0 | 15 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 59°F | 69.6°F | 4.00 | 0.0 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 52°F | 62.0°F | 3.98 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 40°F | 49.2°F | 4.44 | 0.3 | 14 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 31°F | 38.3°F | 3.02 | 5.8 | 13 | <1 | 19 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 19°F | 26.9°F | 2.97 | 19.3 | 16 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 37°F | 46.4°F | 42.31 | 85.9 | 166 | 8 | 158 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −12°C | −7.2°C | 63 mm | 52 cm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.9°C | 54 mm | 49 cm |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.7°C | 69 mm | 42 cm |
| April | 12°C | 2°C | 7.0°C | 89 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 14.1°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 118 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.7°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 11°C | 16.7°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 113 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | −1°C | 3.5°C | 77 mm | 15 cm |
| December | 1°C | −7°C | −2.8°C | 75 mm | 49 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00432843; 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 Essex Junction?
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 (12).
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 USC00432843.
When is the last frost in Essex Junction?
In Essex Junction, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before September 30 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
- May 21 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before September 30; 9 in 10 before October 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 160 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 183 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Essex Junction in zone 5a in ZIP code 05452. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Essex Junction's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (23 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Vermont · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00432843; 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 Essex Junction?
In a normal year in Essex Junction, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 158 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 166 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
- 158a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 56high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 166a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1971) is 100°F, on July 15, 1995; the lowest is −35°F, on February 15, 1987.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 57.01 in; the snowiest season is 2000–01, with 115.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00432843; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00432843. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Essex Junction?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Essex Junction, 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 Essex Junction need?
A normal year in Essex Junction brings 7,306 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 568 cooling degree days, 37% 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 2,552 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,421 | 0 |
| February | 1,221 | 0 |
| March | 1,059 | 0 |
| April | 617 | 3 |
| May | 264 | 30 |
| June | 66 | 111 |
| July | 13 | 201 |
| August | 24 | 165 |
| September | 147 | 55 |
| October | 492 | 3 |
| November | 800 | 0 |
| December | 1,183 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,306 | 568 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00432843. 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 Essex Junction's climate compare?
Essex Junction is warmer than 25 of the other 28 places with their own NOAA record in Vermont, and wetter than 12. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.4°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Essex Junction 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 Essex Junction share this climate record?
4 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.
- Jericho, VT1,230 people · 6 mi E
- Fairfax, VT5,372 people · 12 mi NE
- Westford, VT2,109 people · 8 mi NE
- Jericho Center, VT7 mi E
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 Essex Junction's climate
What is the coldest month in Essex Junction?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Essex Junction?
Yes: 86 inches in a normal year, falling on 48 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (20.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Essex Junction?
June, with 4.64 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Essex Junction in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Essex Junction in zone 5a in ZIP code 05452. By the same method at Essex Junction's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Essex Junction?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Vermont climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Burlington, VT3 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- South Hero, VT12 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Mount Mansfield, VT15 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Willsboro, NY16 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made