Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Dante has cooler summers than 87% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 24°. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 75% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 14, with the first autumn frost due around November 1.
A year in Dante at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dante’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dante’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Dante feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 200 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nora 4 Sse, VA, 2.9 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dante’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nora 4 Sse, VA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 158 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dante
87% 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 Nora 4 Sse, VA.
Living with Dante’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
200 frost-free days in zone 7a. 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 Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 4.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dante from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dante and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dante yet.
Climates most like Dante’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante, VA | 24° | 81° | 48" | 38" |
| Tiverton, RI | 23° | 81° | 48" | 38" |
| Bourne, MA | 24° | 81° | 50" | 37" |
| East Moriches, NY | 24° | 82° | 46" | 32" |
| North Stonington, CT | 20° | 82° | 47" | 38" |
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 Dante averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Dante compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dante’s place among Virginia’s.
Dante weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dante’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nora 4 Sse, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.8" | 11.2" | 16 | 8 | 25° – 41° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 3.9" | 8.7" | 15 | 6 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 34° | 4.3" | 5.9" | 14 | 3 | 37° – 54° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.2" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 62° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| October | 66° | 43° | 2.8" | 1.1" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 55° | 34° | 3.1" | 2.1" | 11 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 46° | 28° | 4.2" | 8.8" | 15 | 6 | 26° – 48° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 47.9" | 38.3" | 158 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dante’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 Dante’s center.
- Snow: Nora 4 Sse, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nora 4 Sse, VA, 2.9 miles from the town’s center, 350 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 Dante’s climate
What is the weather like in Dante?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dante in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 95 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 25°.
How much snow does Dante get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Nora 4 Sse, VA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dante?
July, with a typical high of 81°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Nora 4 Sse, VA.
When is the first and last frost in Dante?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 200 frost-free days, at Nora 4 Sse, VA.
What growing zone is Dante in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dante?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dante getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dante.
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.