Pownal, Vermont climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Pownal's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.7°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationPownal (1 mi NE)
- Station IDUSC00436500
- Location42.79°N 73.22°W
- Elevation1,110 ft (338 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (town)3,258
- Census place587
On October 23, the normal high in Pownal is 56°F and the normal low 36°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pownal.
- Jan 31° 12°
- Feb 33° 13°
- Mar 42° 22°
- Apr 56° 33°
- May 68° 43°
- Jun 75° 52°
- Jul 81° 57°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 59° 39°
- Nov 47° 29°
- Dec 36° 20°
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 Pownal each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 12°F | 21.2°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 33°F | 13°F | 23.3°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 42°F | 22°F | 31.7°F | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 33°F | 44.4°F | – | <1 | 16 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 55.8°F | – | <1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 75°F | 52°F | 63.8°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 81°F | 57°F | 68.7°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.8°F | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 49°F | 60.1°F | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 59°F | 39°F | 48.9°F | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 29°F | 37.7°F | – | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 20°F | 28.2°F | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 45.9°F | – | 3 | 157 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −11°C | −6.0°C |
| February | 1°C | −10°C | −4.8°C |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.2°C |
| April | 13°C | 0°C | 6.9°C |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 13.2°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.4°C |
| August | 26°C | 13°C | 19.3°C |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C |
| October | 15°C | 4°C | 9.4°C |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 3.2°C |
| December | 2°C | −7°C | −2.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Sunderland 2 (21 miles away), gets 75 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00436500; 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 Pownal?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00436500.
When is the last frost in Pownal?
In Pownal, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 7 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 26 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 71 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pownal in zone 5b in ZIP code 05261, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Vermont · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00436500; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Pownal?
In a normal year in Pownal, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 157 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 157a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 54high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00436500.
How sunny is Pownal?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Pownal, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (77%) and December the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.6 |
| February | 64% | 2.5 |
| March | 66% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 71% | 5.8 |
| July | 77% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 76% | 4.3 |
| October | 65% | 2.7 |
| November | 65% | 1.8 |
| December | 57% | 1.3 |
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 Pownal need?
A normal year in Pownal brings 7,284 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 353 cooling degree days, 61% 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 2,199 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,356 | 0 |
| February | 1,169 | 0 |
| March | 1,032 | 0 |
| April | 619 | 3 |
| May | 305 | 18 |
| June | 102 | 65 |
| July | 23 | 139 |
| August | 42 | 96 |
| September | 176 | 31 |
| October | 501 | 2 |
| November | 818 | 0 |
| December | 1,141 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,284 | 353 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00436500. 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 Pownal's climate compare?
Pownal is warmer than 23 of the other 28 places with their own NOAA record in Vermont. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.9°F is warmer than 23%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Pownal share this climate record?
3 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.
- Adams, MA7,992 people · 12 mi SE
- Williamstown, MA9,189 people · 6 mi S
- Cheshire, MA3,190 people · 16 mi S
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 Pownal's climate
What is the coldest month in Pownal?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Pownal?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Pownal's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Sunderland 2 (21 miles away), records 75 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Pownal in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pownal in zone 5b in ZIP code 05261, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Pownal?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 7; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Vermont climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bennington, VT7 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- North Adams, MA7 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Grafton, NY12 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Buskirk, NY14 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made