Photo: Yaoiloverr · CC BY-SA 4.0Weather without surprises: Bel Air keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 24°. Only 64° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 68% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Bel Air at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bel Air’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bel Air’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Bel Air feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Aberdeen Phillips Fld, MD, 10 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bel Air’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Octoraro Lake, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bel Air
80% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Aberdeen Phillips Fld, MD.
Living with Bel Air’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bel Air from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bel Air and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bel Air in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bel Air’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bel Air, MD | 24° | 88° | 47" | 18" |
| University of Virginia, VA | 27° | 88° | 46" | 17" |
| Cynthiana, KY | 24° | 87° | 48" | 16" |
| Milford, OH | 23° | 87° | 45" | 16" |
| Rolla, MO | 23° | 88° | 44" | 17" |
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 Bel Air averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Bel Air compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bel Air’s place among Maryland’s.
Bel Air weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bel Air’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Octoraro Lake, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 3.2" | 5.0" | 11 | 5 | 24° – 41° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 2.7" | 7.1" | 10 | 5 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 4.2" | 2.6" | 11 | 2 | 36° – 52° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 75° | 52° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 46° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 29° | 3.9" | 3.0" | 11 | 2 | 30° – 47° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 46.6" | 18.1" | 124 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 41°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bel Air’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 Bel Air’s center.
- Snow: Octoraro Lake, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Aberdeen Phillips Fld, MD, 10 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Bel Air’s climate
What is the weather like in Bel Air?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bel Air in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Bel Air get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Octoraro Lake, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bel Air?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Aberdeen Phillips Fld, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Bel Air?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 201 frost-free days, at Aberdeen Phillips Fld, MD.
What growing zone is Bel Air in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bel Air?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bel Air getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bel Air.
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.