Northfield, Vermont climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Northfield's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 44.7 inches of precipitation and 76 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.6°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,136 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorthfield
- Station IDUSC00435733
- Location44.16°N 72.66°W
- Elevation670 ft (204 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population (town)5,915
- Census place4,165
On October 23, the normal high in Northfield is 56°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 36%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Northfield.
- Jan 29° 6°
- Feb 32° 7°
- Mar 41° 17°
- Apr 54° 29°
- May 68° 41°
- Jun 76° 51°
- Jul 81° 55°
- Aug 79° 53°
- Sep 72° 46°
- Oct 59° 35°
- Nov 46° 26°
- Dec 35° 15°
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 Northfield each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.04 in), the least in February (2.65 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 6°F | 17.5°F | 3.21 | 17.9 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 32°F | 7°F | 19.9°F | 2.65 | 15.0 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 17°F | 28.8°F | 3.07 | 13.9 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 29°F | 41.5°F | 3.66 | 3.3 | 10 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 41°F | 54.3°F | 3.93 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 76°F | 51°F | 63.4°F | 4.43 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 55°F | 68.0°F | 5.04 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 79°F | 53°F | 66.1°F | 3.79 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 46°F | 58.9°F | 3.29 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 59°F | 35°F | 46.7°F | 4.62 | 0.3 | 11 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 26°F | 35.8°F | 3.35 | 4.1 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 15°F | 24.5°F | 3.70 | 21.3 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 32°F | 43.8°F | 44.74 | 75.8 | 124 | 6 | 182 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −14°C | −8.1°C | 82 mm | 45 cm |
| February | 0°C | −14°C | −6.7°C | 67 mm | 38 cm |
| March | 5°C | −8°C | −1.8°C | 78 mm | 35 cm |
| April | 12°C | −2°C | 5.3°C | 93 mm | 8 cm |
| May | 20°C | 5°C | 12.4°C | 100 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 10°C | 17.4°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 13°C | 20.0°C | 128 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 14.9°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.2°C | 117 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | −3°C | 2.1°C | 85 mm | 10 cm |
| December | 1°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 94 mm | 54 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00435733; 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 Northfield?
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 (9).
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 USC00435733.
When is the last frost in Northfield?
In Northfield, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after May 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 13 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 181 year in 10 after May 30; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 133 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 155 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 4 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Northfield in zone 5a in ZIP code 05664, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Northfield's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (18 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 USC00435733; 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 Northfield?
In a normal year in Northfield, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 182 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 124 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 182a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 57high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 124a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1887) is 98°F, on July 3, 1911; the lowest is −41°F, on December 31, 1917.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 55.66 in; the snowiest season is 1887–88, with 192.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00435733; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00435733. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Northfield?
Over a year 66% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Northfield, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (74%) and December the cloudiest (52%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 1.4 |
| February | 61% | 2.2 |
| March | 63% | 3.3 |
| April | 63% | 4.3 |
| May | 65% | 5.1 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 73% | 5.7 |
| August | 74% | 5.0 |
| September | 74% | 4.0 |
| October | 61% | 2.4 |
| November | 57% | 1.5 |
| December | 52% | 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 Northfield need?
A normal year in Northfield brings 8,010 heating degree days, 49% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 316 cooling degree days, 65% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,026 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,472 | 0 |
| February | 1,263 | 0 |
| March | 1,122 | 0 |
| April | 708 | 1 |
| May | 344 | 14 |
| June | 106 | 60 |
| July | 30 | 122 |
| August | 55 | 91 |
| September | 210 | 29 |
| October | 566 | 1 |
| November | 878 | 0 |
| December | 1,256 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,010 | 316 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00435733. 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 Northfield's climate compare?
Northfield is warmer than 11 of the other 28 places with their own NOAA record in Vermont, and wetter than 17. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.8°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Northfield 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.
Questions about Northfield's climate
What is the coldest month in Northfield?
January, with a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Northfield?
Yes: 76 inches in a normal year, falling on 28 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (21.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Northfield?
July, with 5.04 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.65 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Northfield in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Northfield in zone 5a in ZIP code 05664, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Northfield's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Northfield?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 30. Waiting until May 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Vermont climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Barre, VT5 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Montpelier, VT7 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Waitsfield, VT7 miles from this station, 43.3°F a year
- Chelsea, VT14 miles from this station, 41.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made