Photo: Andrew Bain · CC BY-SA 3.0Amherst’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Amherst at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Amherst’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Amherst’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Amherst feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tye Rvr 1 Se, VA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Amherst’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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lynchburg Rgnl Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 119 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Amherst
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 Tye Rvr 1 Se, VA.
Living with Amherst’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 25.
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 Amherst from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Amherst and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Amherst yet.
Climates most like Amherst’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst, VA | 27° | 87° | 49" | 12" |
| Jefferson City, TN | 28° | 87° | 49" | 10" |
| Claymont, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Hazard, KY | 26° | 87° | 49" | 8.8" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
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 Amherst averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Amherst compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Amherst’s place among Virginia’s.
Amherst weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Amherst’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lynchburg Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 27° | 3.7" | 3.5" | 10 | 2 | 30° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 3.0" | 3.6" | 10 | 3 | 30° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 4.0" | 2.4" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 56° |
| April | 69° | 44° | 3.9" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 58° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 58° | 35° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 30° | 4.0" | 2.0" | 9 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 48.5" | 11.6" | 119 | 7 |
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°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Amherst’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 Amherst’s center.
- Snow: Lynchburg Rgnl Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tye Rvr 1 Se, VA, 8 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 Amherst’s climate
What is the weather like in Amherst?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Amherst in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 105 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Amherst get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Lynchburg Rgnl Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Amherst?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 31 days a year reach 90° (Tye Rvr 1 Se, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Amherst?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 193 frost-free days, at Tye Rvr 1 Se, VA.
What growing zone is Amherst 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 Amherst?
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 Amherst getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Amherst.
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.