St. Johnsbury, Vermont climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
St. Johnsbury's normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 39.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.6°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 26°C, 999 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSaint Johnsbury
- Station IDUSW00054742
- Location44.42°N 72.02°W
- Elevation700 ft (213 m)
- Population (town)7,385
- Census place5,945
On October 14, the normal high in St. Johnsbury is 57°F and the normal low 37°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 St. Johnsbury.
- Jan 26° 8°
- Feb 30° 9°
- Mar 39° 19°
- Apr 53° 32°
- May 67° 43°
- Jun 75° 53°
- Jul 80° 58°
- Aug 78° 56°
- Sep 70° 48°
- Oct 57° 37°
- Nov 43° 27°
- Dec 32° 16°
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 St. Johnsbury each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.43 in), the least in February (2.16 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 8°F | 17.1°F | 2.52 | 13 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 30°F | 9°F | 19.4°F | 2.16 | 14 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 39°F | 19°F | 29.2°F | 2.42 | 14 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 32°F | 42.5°F | 3.26 | 14 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 67°F | 43°F | 55.0°F | 3.74 | 14 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 53°F | 63.9°F | 3.81 | 15 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 80°F | 58°F | 68.5°F | 4.43 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 78°F | 56°F | 66.6°F | 3.83 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 48°F | 58.8°F | 3.32 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 37°F | 46.7°F | 3.87 | 15 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 43°F | 27°F | 35.3°F | 3.05 | 14 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 32°F | 16°F | 23.8°F | 2.93 | 15 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 34°F | 43.9°F | 39.34 | 164 | 4 | 167 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −8.3°C | 64 mm |
| February | −1°C | −13°C | −7.0°C | 55 mm |
| March | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C | 61 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.8°C | 83 mm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.8°C | 95 mm |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 97 mm |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 113 mm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 97 mm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 14.9°C | 84 mm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.2°C | 98 mm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.8°C | 77 mm |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.6°C | 74 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. St. Johnsbury's own co-op station Saint Johnsbury station does: 87 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054742; 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 St. Johnsbury?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USW00054742.
When is the last frost in St. Johnsbury?
In St. Johnsbury, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 21 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 101 year in 10 after May 23; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 27 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts St. Johnsbury in zone 4b in ZIP code 05819. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, St. Johnsbury's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (20 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 USW00054742; 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 St. Johnsbury?
In a normal year in St. Johnsbury, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 167 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 164 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 167a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 65high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 164a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00054742.
How sunny is St. Johnsbury?
Over a year 66% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around St. Johnsbury, 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 St. Johnsbury need?
A normal year in St. Johnsbury brings 7,983 heating degree days, 49% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 330 cooling degree days, 64% 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 2,078 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,485 | 0 |
| February | 1,278 | 0 |
| March | 1,110 | 0 |
| April | 677 | 1 |
| May | 321 | 12 |
| June | 95 | 62 |
| July | 22 | 132 |
| August | 46 | 94 |
| September | 214 | 28 |
| October | 568 | 1 |
| November | 890 | 0 |
| December | 1,277 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,983 | 330 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054742. 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 St. Johnsbury been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 46.0°F, 2.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 43.9°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.0°F | +2.1°F | 32.61 |
Over 124 complete years from 1854 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.1°F per century (+0.12°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00054742; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does St. Johnsbury's climate compare?
St. Johnsbury is warmer than 12 of the other 28 places with their own NOAA record in Vermont, and wetter than 6. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.9°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, St. Johnsbury 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 St. Johnsbury share this climate record?
6 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.
- Littleton, NH6,032 people · 14 mi SE
- Lisbon, NH1,638 people · 15 mi S
- Danville, VT2,356 people · 6 mi W
- Peacham, VT716 people · 10 mi SW
- Lyndon, VT5,651 people · 7 mi N
- Barnet, VT1,654 people · 9 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.
What do St. Johnsbury's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near St. Johnsbury. This page uses Saint Johnsbury; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Johnsbury station USC00437054 | in town | 700 ft | 45.5°F | 9°F | 81°F | 40.3 | 87 | May 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about St. Johnsbury's climate
What is the coldest month in St. Johnsbury?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in St. Johnsbury?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for St. Johnsbury's NOAA station; St. Johnsbury's own co-op station Saint Johnsbury station records 87 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in St. Johnsbury?
July, with 4.43 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.16 in.
What plant hardiness zone is St. Johnsbury in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts St. Johnsbury in zone 4b in ZIP code 05819. By the same method at St. Johnsbury's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in St. Johnsbury?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 23. Waiting until May 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Vermont climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Sutton, VT13 miles from this station, 41.1°F a year
- East Haven, VT17 miles from this station, 39.6°F a year
- Bethlehem, NH19 miles from this station, 42.1°F a year
- Plainfield, VT22 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made