Baltimore has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normalsUpdated once a decade
☀️
July high
89°
2nd hottest of 536 Maryland towns
❄️
January low
28°
82nd mildest of 536 Maryland towns
💧
Rain + melted snow
47 in
59th wettest of 536 Maryland towns
🌨️
Snow a winter
19 in
169th snowiest of 508 Maryland towns
A normal year
What a year in Baltimore feels like
❄️
Winter
46° / 29°
Typical high / low · 5 days with an inch or more of snow
🌷
Spring
66° / 46°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Mar 24
☀️
Summer
87° / 68°
Typical high / low · 43 days reach 90° in a normal year
🍂
Fall
68° / 50°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 21
10°
20°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
100°
32°
43°
28°
46°
29°
55°
36°
67°
46°
76°
56°
85°
65°
89°
70°
87°
68°
80°
62°
68°
50°
57°
39°
48°
32°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
32°, freezingBar runs from the typical overnight low up to the afternoon high
Best months to be outsideAprMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month
Baltimore weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
Month
High
Low
Rain + melt
Snow
Wet days
Snow on ground
30-yr range
January
43°
28°
3.1"
6.4"
10
4
27° – 43°
February
46°
29°
2.8"
7.5"
9
5
26° – 45°
March
55°
36°
4.1"
2.8"
11
2
40° – 54°
April
67°
46°
3.6"
0
11
0
53° – 62°
May
76°
56°
4.1"
0
12
0
61° – 72°
June
85°
65°
4.1"
0
11
0
71° – 80°
July
89°
70°
4.5"
0
10
0
75° – 84°
August
87°
68°
4.4"
0
10
0
74° – 81°
September
80°
62°
4.6"
0
9
0
67° – 74°
October
68°
50°
4.1"
0
9
0
56° – 65°
November
57°
39°
3.4"
0.1"
9
0
42° – 53°
December
48°
32°
3.7"
2.5"
10
2
31° – 50°
Year
67°
48°
46.6"
19.3"
121
13
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain & snow
Rain and snow in Baltimore
Baltimore gets 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 13 days of the year.
💧
47 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 76% of U.S. towns
❄️
19 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 58% of U.S. towns
⛄
13 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 65% of U.S. towns
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
4.6"
JFMAMJJASOND
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
7.5"
JFMAMJJASOND
Frost & the growing season
About 244 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 24 and the first one by November 21. That leaves about 244 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 89% of U.S. towns.
🌱 Mar 24
🍂 Nov 21
244 frost-free days
JFMAMJJASOND
🥶
52
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
🧊
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
🔥
43
days that reach 90° in a normal year
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
JFMAMJJASOND
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
JFMAMJJASOND
Heating & cooling
Heating and cooling a home in Baltimore
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Baltimore, 69% of that work is heating and 31% is cooling.
🔥
3,858 heating degree daysLess heating than 80% of U.S. towns
❄️
1,749 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 84% of U.S. towns
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Around Baltimore
Baltimore and its neighbors
Baltimore borders 12 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 4.4°. Pikesville has the coldest January nights (24°) and Brooklyn Park the hottest July afternoons (89°). Baltimore’s January low is 28° and its July high 89°.
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Then and now
Warmer than it used to be
+2.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)
The last 30 years in Baltimore averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 95% of U.S. towns.
❄️ Winter+2.3°now 38°, was 35°
🌷 Spring+2.0°now 56°, was 54°
☀️ Summer+2.2°now 77°, was 75°
🍂 Fall+1.6°now 59°, was 58°
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Baltimore’s spot on NOAA’s grid
+1.5°
+3.0°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Year to year
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 31° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70°
80°
90°
JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions
Common questions about Baltimore’s climate
What is the coldest month in Baltimore?
January, with a typical high of 43° and a low of 28°.
What is the hottest month in Baltimore?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 70°. About 43 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Baltimore get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Baltimore?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 21, and the last spring frost by March 24.
What is the rainiest month in Baltimore?
September, with 4.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 47 inches.
📍Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Baltimore itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Baltimore Wash Intl Airport, MD (10 mi, snow) and Md Sci Ctr Baltimore, MD (1 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.