Monticello, Virginia climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Monticello's normal year runs from 26°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 47.1 inches of precipitation and 16 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.2°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,196 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMonticello
- Station IDUSC00445700
- Location38.01°N 78.45°W
- Elevation758 ft (231 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Monticello is 64°F and the normal low 45°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Monticello.
- Jan 44° 26°
- Feb 47° 28°
- Mar 55° 35°
- Apr 66° 45°
- May 73° 54°
- Jun 81° 63°
- Jul 85° 67°
- Aug 83° 65°
- Sep 76° 58°
- Oct 66° 48°
- Nov 57° 37°
- Dec 47° 30°
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 Monticello each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.92 in), the least in January (2.72 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 26°F | 35.0°F | 2.72 | 3.6 | 8 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 47°F | 28°F | 37.5°F | 2.73 | 6.2 | 7 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 55°F | 35°F | 45.1°F | 4.04 | 1.3 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 45°F | 55.4°F | 3.54 | 0.1 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 54°F | 63.8°F | 4.62 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 81°F | 63°F | 72.2°F | 4.49 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 85°F | 67°F | 76.1°F | 4.92 | 0.0 | 10 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 83°F | 65°F | 74.4°F | 4.45 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 76°F | 58°F | 67.0°F | 4.84 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 48°F | 56.8°F | 3.96 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 37°F | 46.7°F | 3.31 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 10 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 47°F | 30°F | 38.6°F | 3.48 | 4.4 | 8 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 46°F | 55.7°F | 47.10 | 15.6 | 106 | 21 | 90 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −3°C | 1.7°C | 69 mm | 9 cm |
| February | 8°C | −2°C | 3.1°C | 69 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 13°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 103 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 19°C | 7°C | 13.0°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 23°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 17°C | 22.3°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.5°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 19°C | 23.6°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 15°C | 19.4°C | 123 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 9°C | 13.8°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 14°C | 3°C | 8.2°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 8°C | −1°C | 3.7°C | 88 mm | 11 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00445700; 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 Monticello?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, August, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00445700.
When is the last frost at Monticello?
In Monticello, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 5 in half of years and after April 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 4 in half of years and before October 23 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 51 year in 10 after April 19; 9 in 10 after March 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 41 year in 10 before October 23; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 213 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 236 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 24 in half of springs and before November 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Monticello in zone 7b in ZIP code 22908, 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 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 9°F (19 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Virginia · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00445700; 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 Monticello?
In a normal year in Monticello, 21 days a year reach 90°F, 90 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 106 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 21a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 90a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 9high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 106a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00445700.
How sunny is it at Monticello?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Monticello, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and January the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 2.2 |
| February | 70% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 4.0 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.4 |
| October | 74% | 3.4 |
| November | 75% | 2.5 |
| December | 70% | 1.9 |
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 Monticello record?
A normal year at Monticello brings 4,440 heating degree days, 17% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,092 cooling degree days, 20% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,772 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 930 | 0 |
| February | 770 | 0 |
| March | 617 | 2 |
| April | 309 | 21 |
| May | 113 | 76 |
| June | 14 | 232 |
| July | 0 | 344 |
| August | 2 | 292 |
| September | 52 | 111 |
| October | 267 | 14 |
| November | 548 | 1 |
| December | 817 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,440 | 1,092 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00445700. 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 Monticello's climate compare?
Monticello is warmer than 39 of the 81 places with their own NOAA record in Virginia, and wetter than 52. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.7°F is warmer than 63%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Monticello 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 Monticello share this climate record?
5 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.
- University of Virginia, VA9,159 people · 4 mi NW
- Pantops, VA4,328 people · 1 mi N
- Rivanna, VA2,258 people · 4 mi E
- Esmont, VA413 people · 15 mi SW
- Keswick, VA386 people · 5 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 Monticello's climate
What is the coldest month at Monticello?
January, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow at Monticello?
Yes: 16 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Monticello?
July, with 4.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 2.72 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Monticello in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Monticello in zone 7b in ZIP code 22908, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 9°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come at Monticello?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 5; in one year in ten it comes after April 19. Waiting until April 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Charlottesville, VA9 miles from this station, 58.7°F a year
- Free Union, VA9 miles from this station, 54.8°F a year
- Palmyra, VA17 miles from this station, 55.3°F a year
- Somerset, VA19 miles from this station, 55.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made