Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Fairfax gets about 80 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 80°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 93% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.9°, most of all in December. Garden planting can start around May 1; autumn frost returns near October 12.
A year in Fairfax at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairfax’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairfax’s place in Vermont beside it.
What a year in Fairfax feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 161 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at St Albans Radio, VT, 12 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairfax’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 80 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at St Albans Radio, VT, is heaviest from January through February, about 18 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairfax
95% 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 St Albans Radio, VT.
Living with Fairfax’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
161 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 1 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 8.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairfax from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (79%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairfax and its neighbors
Cambridge has the coldest January nights next door (8°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fairfax’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax, VT | 9° | 80° | 43" | 80" |
| Old Town, ME | 9° | 80° | 43" | 75" |
| Hamilton, NY | 13° | 79° | 45" | 77" |
| Dalton, MA | 13° | 80° | 48" | 77" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 75" |
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 Fairfax averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Fairfax compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairfax’s place among Vermont’s.
Fairfax weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairfax’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from St Albans Radio, VT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 9° | 2.6" | 16.9" | 13 | 23 | 5° – 26° |
| February | 30° | 10° | 2.2" | 18.3" | 10 | 22 | 6° – 27° |
| March | 39° | 20° | 2.7" | 16.2" | 11 | 17 | 21° – 41° |
| April | 53° | 32° | 3.5" | 6.2" | 11 | 3 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 45° | 3.9" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| June | 75° | 54° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| August | 78° | 57° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 50° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 39° | 4.3" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| November | 44° | 29° | 3.3" | 5.0" | 11 | 4 | 31° – 43° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 3.1" | 16.0" | 13 | 17 | 18° – 37° |
| Year | 54° | 35° | 43.1" | 79.9" | 137 | 86 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fairfax’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 Fairfax’s center.
- Snow: St Albans Radio, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Albans Radio, VT, 12 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 Fairfax’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairfax?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 80 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairfax in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 148 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 5°.
How much snow does Fairfax get?
About 80 inches in a normal winter at St Albans Radio, VT, heaviest from January through February, about 18 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 86 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fairfax?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 59°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (St Albans Radio, VT).
When is the first and last frost in Fairfax?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 161 frost-free days, at St Albans Radio, VT.
What growing zone is Fairfax in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fairfax?
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 Fairfax getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairfax.
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.