Photo: Hayden Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Waterbury’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Waterbury at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Waterbury’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Waterbury’s place in Connecticut beside it.
What a year in Waterbury feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Meriden Markham Muni Airport, 11 miles from the city’s center point, 400 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Waterbury’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Woodbury, CT, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Waterbury
89% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Meriden Markham Muni Airport.
Living with Waterbury’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Waterbury from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Waterbury and its neighbors
Watertown has the coldest January nights next door (17°, 1° colder) and Cheshire the hottest July afternoons (84°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Waterbury’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterbury, CT | 18° | 83° | 51" | 47" |
| Tamaqua, PA | 18° | 82° | 52" | 43" |
| Buckhannon, WV | 23° | 83° | 50" | 39" |
| Barrington, NH | 14° | 82° | 47" | 39" |
| South Berwick, ME | 14° | 82° | 48" | 56" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Waterbury averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 116,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Waterbury compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Waterbury’s place among Connecticut’s.
Waterbury weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Waterbury’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Woodbury, CT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 3.7" | 11.3" | 12 | 15 | 18° – 33° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 3.2" | 13.7" | 10 | 15 | 15° – 35° |
| March | 47° | 26° | 4.3" | 10.3" | 12 | 9 | 30° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 4.4" | 1.4" | 10 | 1 | 44° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 69° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 52° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 32° | 4.1" | 1.5" | 10 | 1 | 37° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 4.5" | 8.6" | 11 | 9 | 25° – 42° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 50.6" | 46.8" | 125 | 49 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Waterbury’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Waterbury’s center.
- Snow: Woodbury, CT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Meriden Markham Muni Airport, 11 miles from the city’s center point, 400 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Waterbury’s climate
What is the weather like in Waterbury?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Waterbury in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 129 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Waterbury get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Woodbury, CT, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 49 days a year.
How hot does it get in Waterbury?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Meriden Markham Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Waterbury?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 175 frost-free days, at Meriden Markham Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Waterbury in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Waterbury?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Waterbury getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Waterbury.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.