Highgate Springs gets about 80 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 80° on average. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Highgate Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Highgate Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Highgate Springs’ place in Vermont beside it.
What a year in Highgate Springs 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, 8 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Highgate Springs’ 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 40 inches a year; July 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 Highgate Springs
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 Highgate Springs’ 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Highgate Springs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Highgate Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Highgate Springs yet.
Climates most like Highgate Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highgate Springs, VT | 9° | 80° | 40" | 80" |
| Orono, ME | 9° | 80° | 43" | 75" |
| Cadillac, MI | 12° | 80° | 35" | 74" |
| North Adams, MA | 13° | 81° | 44" | 77" |
| Norwich, NY | 14° | 81° | 44" | 75" |
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 Highgate Springs averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
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 Highgate Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Highgate Springs’ place among Vermont’s.
Highgate Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Highgate Springs’ 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 | 26° | 9° | 2.6" | 16.9" | 13 | 23 | 3° – 27° |
| February | 29° | 10° | 2.2" | 18.3" | 10 | 22 | 6° – 27° |
| March | 38° | 21° | 2.5" | 16.2" | 11 | 17 | 21° – 40° |
| April | 53° | 34° | 3.3" | 6.2" | 11 | 3 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 76° | 56° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| August | 78° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 51° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 57° | 41° | 4.1" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| November | 45° | 30° | 3.0" | 5.0" | 11 | 4 | 31° – 44° |
| December | 33° | 18° | 3.1" | 16.0" | 13 | 17 | 18° – 37° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 40.3" | 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 3° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Highgate Springs’ 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 Highgate Springs’ center.
- Snow: St Albans Radio, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Albans Radio, VT, 8 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Highgate Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Highgate Springs?
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 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Highgate Springs 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 3°.
How much snow does Highgate Springs 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 Highgate Springs?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 61°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (St Albans Radio, VT).
When is the first and last frost in Highgate Springs?
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 Highgate Springs 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 Highgate Springs?
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 Highgate Springs 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 Highgate Springs.
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.