Photo: TwoScarsUp · CC BY-SA 4.0The climate in Darnestown sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 87°. Its January nights stay gentler than in 64% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Long walks are most pleasant from April to June and September to October, when afternoons reach 66–83°.
A year in Darnestown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Darnestown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Darnestown’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Darnestown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rockville 1 Ne, MD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Darnestown’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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Washington Dc Dulles Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Darnestown
78% 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 Rockville 1 Ne, MD.
Living with Darnestown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Darnestown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Darnestown and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Darnestown in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Darnestown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darnestown, MD | 25° | 87° | 43" | 21" |
| Salem, VA | 27° | 88° | 44" | 18" |
| Fort Thomas, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
| Cincinnati, OH | 23° | 87° | 44" | 16" |
| Fort Dix, NJ | 24° | 87° | 47" | 24" |
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 Darnestown averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 73% 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 Darnestown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Darnestown’s place among Maryland’s.
Darnestown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Darnestown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Washington Dc Dulles Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 25° | 3.0" | 6.9" | 10 | 4 | 26° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 27° | 2.6" | 7.0" | 9 | 5 | 25° – 44° |
| March | 54° | 34° | 3.7" | 3.9" | 11 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 66° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 65° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 3.1" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 30° | 3.5" | 2.8" | 10 | 2 | 28° – 48° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 43.4" | 21.0" | 121 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 48°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Darnestown’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 Darnestown’s center.
- Snow: Washington Dc Dulles Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rockville 1 Ne, MD, 9 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Darnestown’s climate
What is the weather like in Darnestown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Darnestown in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 86 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Darnestown get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Washington Dc Dulles Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Darnestown?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Rockville 1 Ne, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Darnestown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 219 frost-free days, at Rockville 1 Ne, MD.
What growing zone is Darnestown 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 Darnestown?
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 Darnestown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Darnestown.
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.