Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Colonial Beach has warmer summer afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 28°. Precipitation peaks in September and eases off in February. Its January nights stay gentler than in 69% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 14, with the first autumn frost due around October 27.
A year in Colonial Beach at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Colonial Beach’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Colonial Beach’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Colonial Beach feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Corbin, VA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Colonial Beach’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 Warsaw 2 Nw, VA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Colonial Beach
77% 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 Corbin, VA.
Living with Colonial Beach’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Colonial Beach from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Colonial Beach and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Colonial Beach yet.
Climates most like Colonial 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Beach, VA | 28° | 89° | 44" | 12" |
| Harrison, AR | 26° | 89° | 47" | 9.5" |
| Summerfield, NC | 29° | 89° | 45" | 7.1" |
| Chester, IL | 24° | 88° | 44" | 12" |
| Webb City, MO | 25° | 90° | 45" | 8.1" |
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 Colonial Beach averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
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 Colonial Beach compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Colonial Beach’s place among Virginia’s.
Colonial Beach weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Colonial Beach’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Warsaw 2 Nw, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 28° | 3.0" | 4.4" | 9 | 3 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 29° | 2.7" | 3.3" | 8 | 3 | 29° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 3.8" | 1.4" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 69° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 62° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 59° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 50° | 32° | 3.7" | 2.2" | 9 | 2 | 32° – 52° |
| Year | 68° | 48° | 44.3" | 11.5" | 115 | 8 |
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 52°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Colonial 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 Colonial Beach’s center.
- Snow: Warsaw 2 Nw, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Corbin, VA, 21 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Colonial Beach’s climate
What is the weather like in Colonial Beach?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Colonial Beach in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 93 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Colonial Beach get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Warsaw 2 Nw, VA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Colonial Beach?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 69°. About 32 days a year reach 90° (Corbin, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Colonial Beach?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 195 frost-free days, at Corbin, VA.
What growing zone is Colonial Beach in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Colonial Beach?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Colonial 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 Colonial 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.