For weather, Lanham is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 88°. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 68% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.7° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Lanham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lanham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lanham’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Lanham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by November 1. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Glenn Dale Bell Stn, MD, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Beltsville, MD, 7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lanham’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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Beltsville, MD, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lanham
78% 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 Beltsville, MD.
Living with Lanham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 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 Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lanham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lanham and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lanham in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lanham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanham, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 16" |
| Vinton, VA | 27° | 88° | 45" | 15" |
| Republic, MO | 23° | 88° | 45" | 14" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
| Du Quoin, IL | 24° | 88° | 46" | 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 Lanham averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 Lanham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lanham’s place among Maryland’s.
Lanham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lanham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Beltsville, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 26° | 3.0" | 5.7" | 10 | 5 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 27° | 2.6" | 5.0" | 9 | 6 | 27° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 34° | 3.9" | 2.5" | 10 | 2 | 39° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 66° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 37° | 3.1" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 48° | 30° | 3.8" | 2.3" | 10 | 2 | 30° – 49° |
| Year | 66° | 46° | 45.3" | 15.8" | 116 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 49°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Lanham’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 Lanham’s center.
- Snow: Beltsville, MD.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Beltsville, MD, 7 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Glenn Dale Bell Stn, MD, 1.9 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 Lanham’s climate
What is the weather like in Lanham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lanham in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 112 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Lanham get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Beltsville, MD, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lanham?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Beltsville, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Lanham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 202 frost-free days, at Beltsville, MD.
What growing zone is Lanham 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 Lanham?
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 Lanham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lanham.
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.