Annapolis in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Annapolis sees average daytime highs around 44°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 10.9 in of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 44°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Annapolis's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Annapolis's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
44°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
33°F
Precipitation
10.9 in
28 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
0.6
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Annapolis in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 44°F.

A typical winter day in Annapolis reaches about 44°F and drops to 33°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Annapolis

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 86 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
86
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Annapolis weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 31°3.592.79.60.1
Feb43° / 32°3.392.810.50.6
Mar51° / 38°4.410.91.611.72.4
Apr61° / 49°3.710.20.1135.1
May70° / 58°3.810.8014.16.4
Jun79° / 68°3.610.8014.76.4
Jul84° / 73°4.211.7014.55.4
Aug82° / 72°4.010.2013.56.1
Sep76° / 66°4.69.2012.37.0
Oct66° / 55°3.98.20116.3
Nov55° / 44°3.38.10.19.93.7
Dec46° / 36°4.19.51.39.31.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Annapolis gets around 10.9 in of rain and snow over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.4 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Annapolis

In seasonPeak

None of Annapolis's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Annapolis sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Annapolis?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Annapolis.

What to pack for Annapolis in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Annapolis sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Annapolis in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 40°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 37°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 16 to Oct 6 — about 3.7 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr47Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun68Refreshing
Jul76Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep74Refreshing
Oct65Cool
Nov54Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Annapolis in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Annapolis peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Annapolis in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Annapolis is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Annapolis?

Annapolis sits at 39.0°N, 76.5°W, 39 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Parole, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Annapolis

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Annapolis.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Annapolis has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,227 ft.

The land around Annapolis is covered by trees (42%), water (29%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and water (43%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
322 ft
50 miles
1,227 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Parole 3.1 mi · Arnold 3.7 mi · Severna Park 6.8 mi · Lake Shore 8.7 mi · Pasadena 11 mi · Crofton 11 mi · Green Haven 12 mi · South Gate 12 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Annapolis (38.9786°, -76.4918°, elevation 39 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.