Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Derby Center gets about 99 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 77°. Temperatures cover 72° across the year, low to high. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to September, with highs of 65–77°.
A year in Derby Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Derby Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Derby Center’s place in Vermont beside it.
What a year in Derby Center feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Newport, VT, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Derby Center’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −24°. 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 99 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Newport, VT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 174 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Derby Center
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Newport, VT.
Living with Derby Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 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 Sep 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Derby Center from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Derby Center and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Derby Center yet.
Climates most like Derby Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derby Center, VT | 6° | 77° | 47" | 99" |
| Houlton, ME | 4° | 78° | 42" | 96" |
| Wilna, NY | 8° | 79° | 42" | 127" |
| Dalton, MA | 13° | 80° | 48" | 77" |
| Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 8° | 76° | 37" | 120" |
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 Derby Center averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 Derby Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Derby Center’s place among Vermont’s.
Derby Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Derby Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Newport, VT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 6° | 3.1" | 21.5" | 18 | 30 | 1° – 24° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 2.6" | 20.2" | 13 | 28 | 2° – 24° |
| March | 37° | 17° | 2.8" | 19.4" | 14 | 26 | 15° – 36° |
| April | 51° | 30° | 3.7" | 4.5" | 13 | 6 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 65° | 42° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 73° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 77° | 56° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| August | 76° | 54° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 68° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 55° | 37° | 4.5" | 0.8" | 15 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 3.4" | 7.0" | 15 | 6 | 28° – 41° |
| December | 30° | 15° | 3.7" | 25.2" | 17 | 23 | 14° – 34° |
| Year | 52° | 32° | 46.6" | 98.6" | 174 | 119 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 1° to 24°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Derby Center’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 Derby Center’s center.
- Snow: Newport, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newport, VT, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, 220 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 Derby Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Derby Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 99 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Derby Center in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 171 nights a year reach 32° or below and 32 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Derby Center get?
About 99 inches in a normal winter at Newport, VT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 119 days a year.
How hot does it get in Derby Center?
July, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 56°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Newport, VT).
When is the first and last frost in Derby Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 138 frost-free days, at Newport, VT.
What growing zone is Derby Center in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Derby Center?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Derby Center getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Derby Center.
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.