Washington DC Temperatures: Averages by Month
The numbers here tell you how hot and cold the weather usually is in Washington DC during each month of the year.
The average high and low temperatures are listed below monthly and annually for Washington, in both degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Maximums and minimums are only part of the temperature picture. To fill in the rest, there's information on how many days a month get above or below a given temperature.
To find out how often it rises over 70, 80 or 90 °F each month in the capital city, scroll down farther. There are also monthly and yearly counts of days with cold weather.
The first set of high and low temperatures are averages for 2010 to 2019. Everything else here is based on 1991 to 2020 weather recorded at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
| High °F | Low °F | High °C | Low °C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 29 | January | 7 | -1 |
| 48 | 32 | February | 9 | 0 |
| 57 | 39 | March | 14 | 4 |
| 69 | 49 | April | 21 | 10 |
| 78 | 60 | May | 25 | 16 |
| 86 | 69 | June | 30 | 20 |
| 91 | 74 | July | 33 | 23 |
| 88 | 71 | August | 31 | 22 |
| 82 | 66 | September | 28 | 19 |
| 70 | 54 | October | 21 | 12 |
| 58 | 41 | November | 14 | 5 |
| 50 | 36 | December | 10 | 2 |
| 68 | 52 | Year | 20 | 11 |
| High °F | Low °F | High °C | Low °C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 30 | January | 7 | -1 |
| 48 | 32 | February | 9 | 0 |
| 57 | 39 | March | 14 | 4 |
| 68 | 48 | April | 20 | 9 |
| 77 | 58 | May | 25 | 14 |
| 85 | 68 | June | 30 | 20 |
| 90 | 72 | July | 32 | 22 |
| 88 | 71 | August | 31 | 22 |
| 81 | 64 | September | 27 | 18 |
| 69 | 52 | October | 21 | 11 |
| 58 | 42 | November | 15 | 5 |
| 49 | 35 | December | 9 | 1 |
| 68 | 51 | Year | 20 | 10 |
Days of Hot Weather in Washington DC
On the hottest days in Washington DC, the thermometer reaches into the 90s Fahrenheit. Hot weather generally shows up periodically from May to September. Some years even get a 90-plus degrees day in April or October.
Once a year on average, the temperature climbs to 100 100 °F (38 °C) or more. A day with 100-degree heat can happen in June, July or August.
| 70 °F 21 °C |
80 °F 27 °C |
90 °F 32 °C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| April | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| May | 23 | 12 | 2 |
| June | 29 | 24 | 8 |
| July | 31 | 29 | 15 |
| August | 31 | 28 | 11 |
| September | 28 | 17 | 4 |
| October | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| November | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | 179 | 118 | 40 |
How Often Washington Has Cold Temperatures
Freezing night-time temperatures can arrive anytime in Washington from November to April. The coldest nights in the capital drop down to 10 degrees F (-12 °C) or below, which happens on average just once a year.
Normally the thermometer doesn't get above 32 °F on seven days a year. Crisp days can occur during December, January or February, and rarely in March.
| 20 °F -8 °C |
32 °F 0 °C |
40 °F 4 °C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | 20 | 28 |
| February | 3 | 15 | 24 |
| March | 1 | 8 | 19 |
| April | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| November | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| December | 1 | 13 | 25 |
| Year | 10 | 60 | 118 |
References
Jay Lawrimore, Ron Ray, Scott Applequist, Bryant Korzeniewski, Matthew Menne. 2016. Global Summary of the Month and Year, Version 1.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.