Washington climate
Washington (District of Columbia, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C56 °F, and about 1,153 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Washington climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 540 | −426 | 133 | 672.6 | 24 |
| Feb | 643 | −327 | 235 | 702.8 | 23 |
| Mar | 1153 | 134 | 643 | 843.3 | 15 |
| Apr | 1865 | 745 | 1355 | 923.6 | 2 |
| May | 2374 | 1355 | 1864 | 1104.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1865 | 2374 | 1184.7 | 0 |
| Jul | 3188 | 2170 | 2679 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2169 | 2678 | 1104.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2780 | 1762 | 2271 | 1074.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 2068 | 1049 | 1559 | 1054.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 1356 | 338 | 847 | 803.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 745 | −130 | 338 | 953.7 | 20 |
| Year | 3188 | −426 | 1456 | 1,15345 | 91 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 61% | 2.2 | 9:43 |
| Feb | 80% | 61% | 3.0 | 10:41 |
| Mar | 79% | 60% | 4.0 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 76% | 59% | 5.0 | 13:10 |
| May | 78% | 61% | 5.6 | 14:17 |
| Jun | 74% | 56% | 6.2 | 14:53 |
| Jul | 69% | 56% | 6.0 | 14:38 |
| Aug | 70% | 54% | 5.4 | 13:40 |
| Sep | 72% | 52% | 4.4 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 76% | 52% | 3.3 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 79% | 53% | 2.5 | 9:59 |
| Dec | 83% | 61% | 1.9 | 9:27 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Washington is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C40 °F and lows −4 °C26 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.7 °C46.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,153 mm45 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is June (118 mm4.7 in), the driest is January (67 mm2.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in July to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 52%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in August to 12 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 12 cm).
Best time to visit Washington
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–June and September and October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 92 mm3.6 in to 118 mm4.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C40 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Washington
- Winter (December–February) — highs 540 to 7 °C45 °F, lows −426 to −1 °C30 °F, about 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1153 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 134 to 13 °C55 °F, about 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2883 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1865 to 21 °C70 °F, about 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1356 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 338 to 17 °C62 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Washington compares
Compared with Philadelphia, about 199 km to the northeast, Washington is on average 1.3 °C2.3 °F warmer and receives 6% less precipitation (1,153 mm45 in vs 1,226 mm48 in). The difference is largest in April (1.6 °C2.8 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Washington is the 125th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 80th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Takasaki (Japan, Cfa), Maebashi (Japan, Cfa) and Maykop (Russia, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Arlington (pop. 207,627) and Alexandria (pop. 159,467). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Washington, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Baltimore 57 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,163 mm46 in
- Richmond 154 km · 14 °C58 °F · 1,182 mm47 in
- Philadelphia 199 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,226 mm48 in
- East Hampton 216 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
- Atlantic City 231 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,203 mm47 in
- Allentown 232 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,233 mm49 in
- Norfolk 237 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
- Virginia Beach 245 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
All places in the United States · District of Columbia climate
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Washington?
July is the warmest month in Washington, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Washington?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (40 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (26 °F).
When does it rain the most in Washington?
June is the wettest month with about 118 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 67 mm (2.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Washington?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–June and September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 71 m, while Washington lies at about 7 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.