Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.0Neither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Bristol sits near the middle of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 26°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 59° apart. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 67% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 21; autumn frost returns near October 20.
A year in Bristol at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bristol’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bristol’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Bristol feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Abingdon 3s, VA, 11 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bristol’s center in zone 7a: 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bristol Tri City Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bristol
84% 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 Abingdon 3s, VA.
Living with Bristol’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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, September and October. 20 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bristol from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bristol and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bristol in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bristol’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol, VA | 26° | 85° | 46" | 9.2" |
| Ocean Acres, NJ | 25° | 85° | 47" | 10" |
| Danville, KY | 25° | 86° | 49" | 7.4" |
| Vienna, WV | 23° | 85° | 44" | 11" |
| Glenside, PA | 24° | 86° | 48" | 7.6" |
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 Bristol averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller 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 Bristol compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bristol’s place among Virginia’s.
Bristol weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bristol’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bristol Tri City Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 26° | 3.7" | 3.0" | 13 | 3 | 28° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 3.9" | 3.0" | 13 | 2 | 28° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 4.2" | 1.1" | 14 | 1 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 12 | 1 | 29° – 50° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 46.4" | 9.2" | 138 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 50°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bristol’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 Bristol’s center.
- Snow: Bristol Tri City Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Abingdon 3s, VA, 11 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Bristol’s climate
What is the weather like in Bristol?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bristol in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Bristol get?
About 9.2 inches in a normal winter at Bristol Tri City Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bristol?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Abingdon 3s, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Bristol?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 182 frost-free days, at Abingdon 3s, VA.
What growing zone is Bristol in?
Zone 7a 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 Bristol?
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 Bristol getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bristol.
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.