Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Montpelier’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Montpelier at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Montpelier’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Montpelier’s place in Vermont beside it.
What a year in Montpelier feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 136 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Barre Montpelier Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Montpelier’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 76 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Northfield, VT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Montpelier
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 Barre Montpelier Airport.
Living with Montpelier’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
136 frost-free days in zone 4b. 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 Sep 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Montpelier from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (83%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Montpelier and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Montpelier in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Montpelier’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montpelier, VT | 7° | 80° | 42" | 76" |
| Old Town, ME | 9° | 80° | 43" | 75" |
| Hamilton, NY | 13° | 79° | 45" | 77" |
| Stewartville, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 53" |
| Cadillac, MI | 12° | 80° | 35" | 74" |
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 Montpelier averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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 Montpelier compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Montpelier’s place among Vermont’s.
Montpelier weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Montpelier’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Northfield, VT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 7° | 2.6" | 17.9" | 10 | 29 | 6° – 26° |
| February | 31° | 8° | 2.4" | 15.0" | 8 | 28 | 5° – 26° |
| March | 40° | 18° | 2.9" | 13.9" | 8 | 23 | 19° – 40° |
| April | 54° | 30° | 3.4" | 3.3" | 10 | 4 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 67° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 75° | 51° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| July | 80° | 56° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 78° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| September | 70° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 57° | 36° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 44° | 27° | 3.1" | 4.1" | 9 | 5 | 29° – 41° |
| December | 33° | 15° | 3.2" | 21.3" | 11 | 23 | 17° – 35° |
| Year | 55° | 32° | 42.2" | 75.8" | 124 | 112 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Montpelier’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 Montpelier’s center.
- Snow: Northfield, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Barre Montpelier Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, 390 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 Montpelier’s climate
What is the weather like in Montpelier?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Montpelier in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 169 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Montpelier get?
About 76 inches in a normal winter at Northfield, VT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 112 days a year.
How hot does it get in Montpelier?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 56°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Barre Montpelier Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Montpelier?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 136 frost-free days, at Barre Montpelier Airport.
What growing zone is Montpelier in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Montpelier?
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 Montpelier getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Montpelier.
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.