Winchester, Virginia climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Winchester's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 40.7 inches of precipitation and 23 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.4°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,034 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWinchester
- Station IDUSC00449181
- Location39.19°N 78.15°W
- Elevation720 ft (220 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population27,800
On October 22, the normal high in Winchester is 64°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Winchester.
- Jan 41° 24°
- Feb 45° 26°
- Mar 53° 32°
- Apr 65° 42°
- May 73° 52°
- Jun 82° 61°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 84° 64°
- Sep 77° 57°
- Oct 66° 45°
- Nov 55° 35°
- Dec 45° 28°
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 Winchester each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.22 in), the least in February (2.24 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. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 24°F | 32.6°F | 2.77 | 6.9 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 45°F | 26°F | 35.3°F | 2.24 | 8.0 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 53°F | 32°F | 42.6°F | 3.46 | 3.8 | 11 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 42°F | 53.6°F | 3.49 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 52°F | 62.8°F | 4.22 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 82°F | 61°F | 71.5°F | 4.11 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 66°F | 75.8°F | 4.08 | 0.0 | 11 | 10 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 84°F | 64°F | 74.0°F | 3.23 | 0.0 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 57°F | 66.8°F | 4.18 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 45°F | 55.1°F | 3.02 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 55°F | 35°F | 45.0°F | 2.79 | 0.6 | 9 | <1 | 12 | 10 h |
| December | 45°F | 28°F | 36.5°F | 3.10 | 3.8 | 10 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 44°F | 54.3°F | 40.69 | 23.1 | 127 | 23 | 101 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −5°C | 0.3°C | 70 mm | 18 cm |
| February | 7°C | −4°C | 1.8°C | 57 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 12°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 88 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 18°C | 6°C | 12.0°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 21.9°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.3°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 18°C | 23.3°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 14°C | 19.3°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 13°C | 2°C | 7.2°C | 71 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 7°C | −2°C | 2.5°C | 79 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00449181; 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 Winchester?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USC00449181.
When is the last frost in Winchester?
In Winchester, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 29 in half of years and before October 14 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 111 year in 10 after April 29; 9 in 10 after March 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 291 year in 10 before October 14; 9 in 10 before November 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 200 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 224 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 31 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Winchester in zone 7a in ZIP code 22601. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Winchester's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 5°F (25 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 USC00449181; 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 Winchester?
In a normal year in Winchester, 23 days a year reach 90°F, 101 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 127 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 23a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 101a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 16high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 127a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1982) is 105°F, on July 17, 1988; the lowest is −12°F, on January 20, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 65.86 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 65.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00449181; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00449181. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Winchester?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Winchester, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (77%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.9 |
| February | 66% | 2.7 |
| March | 66% | 3.7 |
| April | 69% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.3 |
| June | 75% | 6.0 |
| July | 77% | 5.9 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 74% | 4.2 |
| October | 70% | 3.1 |
| November | 69% | 2.2 |
| December | 62% | 1.6 |
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 Winchester need?
A normal year in Winchester brings 4,915 heating degree days, 9% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,050 cooling degree days, 16% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,590 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,004 | 0 |
| February | 830 | 0 |
| March | 696 | 2 |
| April | 357 | 17 |
| May | 138 | 69 |
| June | 19 | 214 |
| July | 1 | 334 |
| August | 3 | 282 |
| September | 63 | 118 |
| October | 322 | 15 |
| November | 601 | 1 |
| December | 882 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,915 | 1,050 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00449181. 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 Winchester's climate compare?
Winchester is warmer than 27 of the other 80 places with their own NOAA record in Virginia, and wetter than 5. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.3°F is warmer than 58%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Winchester 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 Winchester share this climate record?
4 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.
- Inwood, WV2,605 people · 13 mi NE
- Stephens City, VA2,160 people · 7 mi SW
- Boyce, VA793 people · 8 mi SE
- Middleway, WV403 people · 12 mi NE
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 Winchester's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Winchester. This page uses Winchester; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester (7 mi SE) USC00449186 | 3 mi E | 680 ft | 53.2°F | 21°F | 87°F | 40.0 | – | April 25 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Winchester's climate
What is the coldest month in Winchester?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Winchester?
Yes: 23 inches in a normal year, falling on 10 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (8.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Winchester?
May, with 4.22 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.24 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Winchester in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Winchester in zone 7a in ZIP code 22601. By the same method at Winchester's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 5°F (25 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Winchester?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 11; in one year in ten it comes after April 29. Waiting until April 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Winchester in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Virginia climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Mount Weather, VA17 miles from this station, 52.7°F a year
- Star Tannery, VA17 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Martinsburg, WV17 miles from this station, 54.1°F a year
- Front Royal, VA20 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made