Climate · Bradford

Bradford, VT climate

Bradford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
80°
136th hottest of 416 Vermont towns
January low
8°
170th coldest of 416 Vermont towns
Rain + melted snow
41 in
102nd driest of 416 Vermont towns
Snow a winter
66 in
66th least snowy of 411 Vermont towns
A normal year

What a year in Bradford feels like

Winter

31° / 11°
Typical high / low · 23 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

54° / 30°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 15

Summer

78° / 53°
Typical high / low · 1 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

58° / 36°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 28
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Bradford weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January28°8°2.8" 17.4"10 7° – 26°
February32°9°2.3" 13.1"8 7° – 27°
March41°19°2.7" 13.4"10 20° – 39°
April54°30°3.3" 2.8"10 37° – 47°
May68°41°3.5" 011 49° – 60°
June76°51°4.0" 012 61° – 67°
July80°56°4.5" 011 63° – 73°
August79°54°4.0" 010 63° – 70°
September71°46°3.3" 010 54° – 63°
October58°36°4.4" 0.7"11 42° – 54°
November44°27°3.0" 1.3"9 31° – 41°
December33°16°3.4" 17.0"11 17° – 35°
Year55°33°41.3"65.7"122

“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 Bradford

Bradford gets 41 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.

41 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 55% of U.S. towns
66 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 91% of U.S. towns
122 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.5"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
17"
Frost & the growing season

About 133 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first one by September 28. That leaves about 133 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 93% of U.S. towns.

173
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
24
nights below 0° in a normal year
1
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Bradford

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Bradford, 97% of that work is heating and 3% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

97%heating
8,364 heating degree daysMore heating than 90% of U.S. towns
226 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 95% 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 Bradford

Bradford and its neighbors

Bradford borders 6 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.1°. Corinth has the coldest January nights (7°) and Newbury the hottest July afternoons (80°). Bradford’s January low is 8° and its July high 80°.

Haverhill: January low 7°, July high 81°Warren: January low 6°, July high 75°Wentworth: January low 8°, July high 80°Benton: January low 4°, July high 70°Newbury: January low 7°, July high 82°Wells River: January low 7°, July high 81°Topsham: January low 6°, July high 77°Ryegate: January low 7°, July high 79°Bath: January low 7°, July high 80°Washington: January low 6°, July high 76°Vershire: January low 7°, July high 78°Orange: January low 5°, July high 72°Strafford: January low 8°, July high 79°Lyme: January low 9°, July high 79°Piermont: January low 8°, July high 79°Newbury: January low 7°, July high 80°Corinth: January low 7°, July high 79°Fairlee: January low 8°, July high 79°West Fairlee: January low 8°, July high 80°Orford: January low 8°, July high 78°Bradford: January low 8°, July high 80° BradfordPiermontNewburyCorinthFairleeWest FairleeOrford
ColderMilder4° to 9°
Corinth7.1° −0.7°
Newbury7.3° −0.5°
Bradford7.8°
Orford7.8° same
Piermont8.1° +0.3°
Fairlee8.2° +0.4°
West Fairlee8.2° +0.4°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Bradford compares

Summer heat80° July high
Cooler than 87% of U.S. towns136th hottest of 416 Vermont towns
Winter cold8° January low
Colder than 85% of U.S. towns170th coldest of 416 Vermont towns
Precipitation41" a year
Wetter than 55% of U.S. towns102nd driest of 416 Vermont towns
Snow66" a winter
Snowier than 91% of U.S. towns66th least snowy of 411 Vermont towns
Growing season133 frost-free days
Shorter than 93% of U.S. towns77th shortest of 416 Vermont towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.6°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Bradford averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.7°). The shift is larger than in 76% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.0° now 21°, was 18°
🌷 Spring+1.0° now 42°, was 41°
☀️ Summer+1.0° now 66°, was 65°
🍂 Fall+1.3° now 47°, was 46°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Bradford’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

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 7° to 27°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Bradford’s climate

What is the coldest month in Bradford?

January, with a typical high of 28° and a low of 8°.

What is the hottest month in Bradford?

July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 56°. About 1 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Bradford get?

About 66 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Bradford?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 28, and the last spring frost by May 15.

What is the rainiest month in Bradford?

July, with 4.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 41 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Bradford itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at South Newbury, VT (5 mi, snow) and Benton 5 Sw, NH (10 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.

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