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.

10-year temperature averages for Washington DC, 2010 to 2019
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
30-year temperature averages for Washington DC, 1991 to 2020
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.

Days per month in Washington of at least 70, 80 or 90 °F
  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.

Days per month on average in Washington when the minimum temperature drops to 20, 32, or 40 °F or below
  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.

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