Charles has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Charles at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Charles’s climate
Read from where Charles sits among Virginia’s towns. The page puts what stands out first.
What a year in Charles feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
4 inches of snow, 48 of rain and melt
July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 6.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
Living with Charles’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a driveway, a furnace and a free afternoon.
222 frost-free days. The last frost comes by Mar 31 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 6.
About 4" in a normal winter.
Months averaging under 55° run from November through March. Heating is 65% of the year’s heating-and-cooling load.
About 55 days a year reach 90°, and July afternoons average 89°.
The nicest months are April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Normals are averages. Ice storms, nor’easters, floods and heat waves are on the natural hazards page.
Natural hazards →Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Charles averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 60% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
How Charles compares
Against every U.S. town on TownTapestry, each counted once, with its place in Virginia.
Charles 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 | 49° | 30° | 3.5" | 2.1" | 10 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 32° | 2.8" | 1.0" | 9 | 0 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 60° | 38° | 4.1" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 44° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 48° | 3.6" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 78° | 57° | 4.1" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 66° | 4.5" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 70° | 5.1" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 69° | 4.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 63° | 5.0" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 51° | 3.8" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| November | 61° | 40° | 3.1" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| December | 52° | 34° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 33° – 54° |
| Year | 70° | 50° | 47.9" | 3.5" | 117 | 1 |
Heating and cooling a home in Charles
65% of the work is heating.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 54°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Charles’s climate
What is the coldest month in Charles?
January, with a typical high of 49° and a low of 30°.
What is the hottest month in Charles?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 70°. About 55 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Charles get?
About 4 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Charles?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 6, and the last spring frost by March 31.
What is the rainiest month in Charles?
July, with 5.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 48 inches.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Charles.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Charles itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Hopewell, VA (12 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.