Photo: Own work by WaldoJ · CC BY-SA 3.0Hot Springs has cooler summers than 88% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 22°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 59°. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 63% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 26, with the first autumn frost due around October 19.
A year in Hot Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hot Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hot Springs’ place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Hot Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hot Springs, VA, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hot Springs’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hot Springs, VA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; May is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 132 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hot Springs
91% 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 Hot Springs, VA.
Living with Hot Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 6.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hot Springs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hot Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hot Springs yet.
Climates most like Hot Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs, VA | 22° | 81° | 46" | 25" |
| Westerly, RI | 23° | 81° | 45" | 25" |
| Groton, CT | 23° | 81° | 46" | 25" |
| Southold, NY | 24° | 81° | 45" | 27" |
| East Falmouth, MA | 24° | 80° | 48" | 25" |
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 Hot Springs averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 57% 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 Hot Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hot Springs’ place among Virginia’s.
Hot Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hot Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hot Springs, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.4" | 8.0" | 11 | 22° – 38° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 3.0" | 7.0" | 10 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 4.1" | 4.6" | 11 | 35° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 4.1" | 0.5" | 13 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 66° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 53° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 60° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 50° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 32° | 3.3" | 0.6" | 9 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 25° | 3.8" | 4.5" | 11 | 24° – 45° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 45.7" | 25.3" | 132 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 45°. October is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hot Springs’ 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 Hot Springs’ center.
- Snow: Hot Springs, VA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hot Springs, VA, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, 370 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 Hot Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Hot Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 50% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hot Springs in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 126 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 Hot Springs get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Hot Springs, VA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Hot Springs?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Hot Springs, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Hot Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 173 frost-free days, at Hot Springs, VA.
What growing zone is Hot Springs in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hot Springs?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hot Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hot Springs.
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.