Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove · Photo: APK · CC BY-SA 4.0The climate in Middletown sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 24°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 61% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Middletown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Middletown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Middletown’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Middletown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Front Royal, VA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Middletown’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Front Royal, VA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Middletown
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Front Royal, VA.
Living with Middletown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 28.
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 Middletown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Middletown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Middletown yet.
Climates most like Middletown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown, VA | 24° | 87° | 40" | 21" |
| Carlinville, IL | 21° | 87° | 40" | 17" |
| Gladstone, MO | 20° | 88° | 40" | 18" |
| Wyoming, OH | 23° | 86° | 44" | 16" |
| Fort Wright, KY | 24° | 87° | 45" | 23" |
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 Middletown averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Middletown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Middletown’s place among Virginia’s.
Middletown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Middletown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Front Royal, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 24° | 2.6" | 4.7" | 10 | 5 | 25° – 40° |
| February | 46° | 26° | 2.1" | 9.4" | 8 | 6 | 26° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 31° | 3.3" | 2.2" | 10 | 2 | 36° – 53° |
| April | 66° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 75° | 50° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 61° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| October | 68° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 2.8" | 4.8" | 9 | 5 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 39.8" | 21.1" | 120 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 47°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Middletown’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 Middletown’s center.
- Snow: Front Royal, VA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Front Royal, VA, 10 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 Middletown’s climate
What is the weather like in Middletown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Middletown in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Middletown get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Front Royal, VA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Middletown?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 63°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Front Royal, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Middletown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 196 frost-free days, at Front Royal, VA.
What growing zone is Middletown in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Middletown?
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 Middletown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Middletown.
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.