Vineyard Haven has cooler summers than 93% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 25°. Temperatures cover 55° across the year, low to high. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 73% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to October, with highs of 63–80°.
A year in Vineyard Haven at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vineyard Haven’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vineyard Haven’s place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Vineyard Haven feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 199 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by November 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Edgartown, MA, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vineyard Haven’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Edgartown, MA, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; March is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vineyard Haven
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 Edgartown, MA.
Living with Vineyard Haven’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
199 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vineyard Haven from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vineyard Haven and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vineyard Haven yet.
Climates most like Vineyard Haven’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vineyard Haven, MA | 25° | 80° | 48" | 25" |
| Galax, VA | 25° | 82° | 48" | 17" |
| Princeton, WV | 23° | 82° | 41" | 24" |
| Babylon, NY | 26° | 83° | 45" | 32" |
| Shamokin, PA | 19° | 82° | 46" | 34" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Vineyard Haven averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 91% 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.
How Vineyard Haven compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vineyard Haven’s place among Massachusetts’.
Vineyard Haven weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vineyard Haven’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Edgartown, MA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 25° | 4.0" | 8.8" | 12 | 6 | 23° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 26° | 3.6" | 8.1" | 10 | 7 | 23° – 39° |
| March | 46° | 30° | 4.9" | 4.7" | 11 | 3 | 33° – 45° |
| April | 55° | 39° | 4.2" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| May | 65° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| June | 73° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| July | 80° | 64° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 47° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| December | 45° | 30° | 4.8" | 3.4" | 12 | 3 | 31° – 47° |
| Year | 59° | 44° | 47.5" | 25.3" | 128 | 20 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Vineyard Haven’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 Vineyard Haven’s center.
- Snow: Edgartown, MA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Edgartown, MA, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Vineyard Haven’s climate
What is the weather like in Vineyard Haven?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vineyard Haven in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 95 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Vineyard Haven get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Edgartown, MA, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 20 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vineyard Haven?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 64°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Edgartown, MA).
When is the first and last frost in Vineyard Haven?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 199 frost-free days, at Edgartown, MA.
What growing zone is Vineyard Haven in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vineyard Haven?
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 Vineyard Haven getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vineyard Haven.
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.