Harris Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWeather without surprises: Rivanna keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 88°. Winter and summer sit 62° apart. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 69–80°, runs through April, May, September and October.
A year in Rivanna at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rivanna’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rivanna’s place in Virginia beside it.
What a year in Rivanna feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first by November 10. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Monticello, VA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Charlottesville 2w, VA, 8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rivanna’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Charlottesville 2w, VA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 126 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rivanna
75% 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 Charlottesville 2w, VA.
Living with Rivanna’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 2 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 2.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rivanna from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rivanna and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rivanna yet.
Climates most like Rivanna’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivanna, VA | 26° | 88° | 45" | 17" |
| Chestertown, MD | 27° | 88° | 44" | 17" |
| Wilmington, DE | 25° | 87° | 46" | 20" |
| Carneys Point, NJ | 26° | 87° | 46" | 20" |
| Chester, PA | 26° | 88° | 46" | 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 Rivanna averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Rivanna compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rivanna’s place among Virginia’s.
Rivanna weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rivanna’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Charlottesville 2w, VA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 26° | 3.1" | 3.9" | 10 | 4 | 30° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 2.7" | 5.9" | 9 | 5 | 30° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 3.8" | 3.8" | 11 | 2 | 40° – 56° |
| April | 69° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 3.4" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 3.5" | 3.2" | 10 | 3 | 30° – 50° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 44.5" | 17.0" | 126 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Rivanna’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 Rivanna’s center.
- Snow: Charlottesville 2w, VA.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Charlottesville 2w, VA, 8 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Monticello, VA, 4 miles from the town’s center, 400 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 Rivanna’s climate
What is the weather like in Rivanna?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rivanna in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 90 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Rivanna get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Charlottesville 2w, VA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rivanna?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Charlottesville 2w, VA).
When is the first and last frost in Rivanna?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 222 frost-free days, at Charlottesville 2w, VA.
What growing zone is Rivanna in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rivanna?
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 Rivanna getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rivanna.
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.