Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Westminster’s winters are milder but snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Westminster at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Westminster’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Westminster’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Westminster feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hanover 4 Sw, PA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Westminster’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hanover 4 Sw, PA, falls mostly in February. 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 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Westminster
86% 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 Hanover 4 Sw, PA.
Living with Westminster’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Westminster from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Westminster and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Westminster yet.
Climates most like Westminster’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster, MD | 22° | 86° | 45" | 28" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
| Francisville, KY | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Delhi Hills, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
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 Westminster averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Westminster compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Westminster’s place among Maryland’s.
Westminster weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Westminster’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hanover 4 Sw, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 22° | 3.2" | 8.0" | 10 | 10 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 2.6" | 9.7" | 9 | 11 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 4.0" | 5.2" | 11 | 4 | 35° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 56° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.3" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 3.7" | 4.5" | 10 | 5 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 45.4" | 28.2" | 128 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 46°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Westminster’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 Westminster’s center.
- Snow: Hanover 4 Sw, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hanover 4 Sw, PA, 13 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Westminster’s climate
What is the weather like in Westminster?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Westminster in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Westminster get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Hanover 4 Sw, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Westminster?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Hanover 4 Sw, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Westminster?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 177 frost-free days, at Hanover 4 Sw, PA.
What growing zone is Westminster in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Westminster?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Westminster getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Westminster.
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.