Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Dorset
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 10° on average. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 94% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.7° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 16, with the first autumn frost due around October 2.
A year in Dorset at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dorset’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dorset’s place in Vermont beside it.
What a year in Dorset feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Peru, VT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dorset’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sunderland 2, VT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dorset
98% 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 Peru, VT.
Living with Dorset’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 16 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 77 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dorset from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dorset and its neighbors
Peru has the coldest January nights next door (7°, 2° colder) and Manchester the hottest July afternoons (80°, 3° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dorset’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset, VT | 10° | 78° | 49" | 75" |
| Bucksport, ME | 10° | 79° | 46" | 75" |
| Windsor, NY | 14° | 80° | 45" | 69" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 75" |
| Chardon, OH | 18° | 81° | 45" | 114" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Dorset averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Dorset compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dorset’s place among Vermont’s.
Dorset weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dorset’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sunderland 2, VT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 10° | 3.4" | 18.5" | 14 | 23 | 7° – 27° |
| February | 32° | 11° | 2.8" | 16.4" | 11 | 21 | 7° – 28° |
| March | 40° | 19° | 3.5" | 14.0" | 13 | 15 | 20° – 39° |
| April | 53° | 30° | 3.7" | 4.1" | 12 | 3 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 41° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 73° | 49° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| July | 78° | 54° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| August | 76° | 53° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| September | 69° | 46° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| October | 57° | 36° | 4.9" | 0.7" | 13 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 45° | 27° | 3.7" | 4.1" | 12 | 4 | 30° – 42° |
| December | 34° | 17° | 4.1" | 17.4" | 14 | 17 | 18° – 36° |
| Year | 54° | 33° | 48.5" | 75.2" | 153 | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Dorset’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 Dorset’s center.
- Snow: Sunderland 2, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Peru, VT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 280 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 Dorset’s climate
What is the weather like in Dorset?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dorset in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 175 nights a year reach 32° or below and 21 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Dorset get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Sunderland 2, VT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 83 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dorset?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Peru, VT.
When is the first and last frost in Dorset?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 140 frost-free days, at Peru, VT.
What growing zone is Dorset in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dorset?
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 Dorset getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dorset.
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.