Newport News, Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Newport News's normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 45.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.3°C, January lows of −1°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,147 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNewport News International Airport
- Station IDUSW00093741
- Location37.13°N 76.49°W
- Elevation42 ft (13 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population183,056
On October 23, the normal high in Newport News is 69°F and the normal low 48°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 33%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Newport News.
- Jan 49° 31°
- Feb 53° 32°
- Mar 59° 38°
- Apr 70° 47°
- May 77° 56°
- Jun 85° 65°
- Jul 88° 70°
- Aug 87° 68°
- Sep 81° 63°
- Oct 71° 51°
- Nov 61° 40°
- Dec 53° 34°
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 Newport News each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in August (5.36 in), the least in February (2.58 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. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 31°F | 39.8°F | 3.05 | 10 | <1 | 18 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 53°F | 32°F | 42.2°F | 2.58 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 59°F | 38°F | 48.5°F | 3.35 | 11 | <1 | 8 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 47°F | 58.4°F | 3.08 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 56°F | 66.7°F | 3.66 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 65°F | 74.6°F | 4.07 | 11 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 88°F | 70°F | 79.2°F | 4.69 | 11 | 16 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 87°F | 68°F | 77.3°F | 5.36 | 12 | 11 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 81°F | 63°F | 71.7°F | 4.95 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 51°F | 61.4°F | 4.16 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 40°F | 50.7°F | 3.00 | 9 | <1 | 6 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 53°F | 34°F | 43.4°F | 3.19 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 50°F | 59.5°F | 45.14 | 129 | 43 | 64 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −1°C | 4.3°C | 77 mm |
| February | 11°C | 0°C | 5.7°C | 66 mm |
| March | 15°C | 3°C | 9.2°C | 85 mm |
| April | 21°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 78 mm |
| May | 25°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 93 mm |
| June | 29°C | 18°C | 23.7°C | 103 mm |
| July | 31°C | 21°C | 26.2°C | 119 mm |
| August | 30°C | 20°C | 25.2°C | 136 mm |
| September | 27°C | 17°C | 22.1°C | 126 mm |
| October | 22°C | 11°C | 16.3°C | 106 mm |
| November | 16°C | 5°C | 10.4°C | 76 mm |
| December | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 81 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hampton (9 miles away), gets 3 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093741; 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 Newport News?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, June 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 USW00093741.
When is the last frost in Newport News?
In Newport News, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 1 in half of years and after April 18 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 9 in half of years and before October 31 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 11 year in 10 after April 18; 9 in 10 after March 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 91 year in 10 before October 31; 9 in 10 before November 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 221 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 244 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 20 in half of springs and before November 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Newport News in zones 8a to 8b across its 8 ZIP code areas (8a in 23602, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Newport News's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (20 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 USW00093741; 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 Newport News ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Newport News's 8 ZIP code areas run from zone 8a to 8b: 5 in 8a and 3 in 8b. 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 Newport News?
In a normal year in Newport News, 43 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 64 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 129 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 64a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 129a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2000) is 106°F, on July 25, 2010; the lowest is 1°F, on January 30, 2014.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2020, with 65.38 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093741; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00093741. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Newport News, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 68°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 70°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (28°F). March is the windiest month (9.4 mph on average), and June has the most clear or nearly clear hours (68%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 61% | 46% | 8.4 mph | 62% | 25% |
| February | 33°F | 62% | 46% | 9.0 mph | 59% | 28% |
| March | 40°F | 61% | 44% | 9.4 mph | 59% | 26% |
| April | 51°F | 66% | 49% | 8.9 mph | 62% | 20% |
| May | 61°F | 71% | 53% | 7.9 mph | 63% | 18% |
| June | 68°F | 70% | 53% | 7.6 mph | 68% | 10% |
| July | 70°F | 73% | 56% | 7.4 mph | 66% | 14% |
| August | 67°F | 74% | 57% | 7.5 mph | 65% | 15% |
| September | 59°F | 74% | 56% | 7.3 mph | 62% | 20% |
| October | 47°F | 71% | 52% | 7.4 mph | 64% | 23% |
| November | 37°F | 67% | 49% | 7.5 mph | 66% | 20% |
| December | 32°F | 67% | 53% | 7.7 mph | 62% | 26% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093741. 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 Newport News?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Newport News, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (72%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 243rd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.3 |
| February | 72% | 3.1 |
| March | 73% | 4.2 |
| April | 76% | 5.3 |
| May | 77% | 5.9 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.5 |
| October | 76% | 3.5 |
| November | 77% | 2.6 |
| December | 72% | 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 Newport News need?
A normal year in Newport News brings 3,536 heating degree days, 34% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,562 cooling degree days, 72% 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 4,627 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 781 | 0 |
| February | 641 | 1 |
| March | 515 | 5 |
| April | 238 | 40 |
| May | 72 | 123 |
| June | 6 | 294 |
| July | 0 | 442 |
| August | 0 | 383 |
| September | 12 | 215 |
| October | 168 | 54 |
| November | 433 | 4 |
| December | 671 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,536 | 1,562 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093741. 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 Newport News been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 58.9°F, 0.6°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 59.5°F. 2 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.1°F | −0.4°F | 44.81 |
| 2022 | 58.6°F | −0.9°F | 46.76 |
| 2023 | 59.7°F | +0.2°F | 40.16 |
| 2024 | 60.2°F | +0.7°F | 38.42 |
| 2025 | 58.9°F | −0.6°F | 45.33 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093741. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Newport News's climate compare?
Newport News is warmer than 72 of the other 80 places with their own NOAA record in Virginia, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 59.5°F is warmer than 73%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Newport News 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 Newport News 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.
- Gloucester Point, VA11,159 people · 10 mi N
- Smithfield, VA9,032 people · 13 mi SW
- Carrollton, VA7,903 people · 13 mi S
- Rushmere, VA1,087 people · 11 mi SW
- Yorktown, VA182 people · 7 mi N
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 Newport News's climate
What is the coldest month in Newport News?
January, with a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Newport News?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Newport News's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hampton (9 miles away), records 3 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Newport News?
August, with 5.36 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.58 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Newport News in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Newport News in zones 8a to 8b across its 8 ZIP code areas (8a in 23602, the largest). By the same method at Newport News's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 13°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Newport News?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 1; in one year in ten it comes after April 18. Waiting until April 18 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Newport News in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hampton, VA9 miles from this station, 59.8°F a year
- Williamsburg, VA17 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- N, VA21 miles from this station, 57.6°F a year
- Norfolk, VA23 miles from this station, 61.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made