Bernards, NJ climate
Bernards has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Bernards feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Bernards 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 | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 21° | 3.6" | 6.8" | 10 | 21° – 37° |
| February | 42° | 23° | 2.9" | 6.7" | 8 | 21° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 4.2" | 3.6" | 10 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 4.0" | 0.2" | 11 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.2" | 0 | 12 | 56° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.7" | 0 | 11 | 66° – 73° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 4.9" | 0 | 10 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.6" | 0 | 10 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 55° | 4.5" | 0 | 9 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 9 | 39° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 4.4" | 3.5" | 10 | 28° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 50.0" | 21.0" | 121 |
“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 and snow in Bernards
Bernards gets 50 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first one by October 18. That leaves about 176 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 53% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Bernards
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Bernards, 86% of that work is heating and 14% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
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.
Bernards and its neighbors
Bernards borders 7 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.2°. Bernardsville has the coldest January nights (21°) and Bedminster the hottest July afternoons (86°). Bernards’s January low is 21° and its July high 86°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Bernards compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bernards averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.8°). The shift is larger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Bernards’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 21° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Bernards’s climate
What is the coldest month in Bernards?
January, with a typical high of 39° and a low of 21°.
What is the hottest month in Bernards?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 23 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Bernards get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Bernards?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 18, and the last spring frost by April 26.
What is the rainiest month in Bernards?
July, with 4.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 50 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Bernards itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Bound Brook 2w, NJ (8 mi, snow) and Somerville Somerset Airport, NJ (7 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.