Photo: Pubdog · Public domainNo extremes in Highland Beach: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 28°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 70% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Garden planting can start around March 27; autumn frost returns near November 13.
A year in Highland Beach at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highland Beach’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highland Beach’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Highland Beach feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 234 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 27 and the first by November 13. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Annapolis Naf, MD, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Annapolis Police Brks, MD, 5 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highland Beach’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Highland Beach
70% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Annapolis Police Brks, MD.
Living with Highland Beach’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
234 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 27 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highland Beach from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Highland Beach and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Highland Beach in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Highland Beach’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Beach, MD | 28° | 88° | 45" | 14" |
| Vinton, VA | 27° | 88° | 45" | 15" |
| Johnson City, TN | 27° | 87° | 46" | 9.2" |
| St. Albans, WV | 25° | 87° | 45" | 11" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
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 Highland Beach averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Highland Beach compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highland Beach’s place among Maryland’s.
Highland Beach weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highland Beach’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 28° | 3.0" | 5.1" | 10 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 29° | 2.6" | 4.8" | 10 | 4 | 27° – 46° |
| March | 55° | 36° | 4.0" | 2.3" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 55° |
| April | 66° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 70° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| August | 86° | 69° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| November | 57° | 40° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 33° | 3.7" | 1.8" | 11 | 1 | 32° – 51° |
| Year | 66° | 49° | 45.0" | 14.1" | 118 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 51°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Highland Beach’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 Highland Beach’s center.
- Snow: Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Annapolis Police Brks, MD, 5 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Annapolis Naf, MD, 4 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 Highland Beach’s climate
What is the weather like in Highland Beach?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highland Beach in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Highland Beach get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Highland Beach?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 70°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Annapolis Police Brks, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Highland Beach?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 27 and the first fall frost by November 13, about 234 frost-free days, at Annapolis Police Brks, MD.
What growing zone is Highland Beach in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Highland Beach?
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 Highland Beach getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Highland Beach.
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.