Beltsville in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Beltsville sees average daytime highs around 45°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 9.5 in of precipitation over about 26 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 45°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
45°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
30°F
Precipitation
9.5 in
26 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
1.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Beltsville in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 45°F.

A typical winter day in Beltsville reaches about 45°F and drops to 30°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Beltsville

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

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

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

Beltsville 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
Jan43° / 28°3.18.62.99.60.4
Feb46° / 29°2.98.52.810.51.2
Mar55° / 36°3.910.31.911.73.4
Apr66° / 47°3.410.10.1135.9
May74° / 56°3.811014.16.6
Jun83° / 65°3.511.3014.75.4
Jul88° / 70°4.112.1014.54.3
Aug85° / 68°3.510.1013.55.1
Sep79° / 61°4.39.3012.36.8
Oct67° / 49°3.47.80116.6
Nov56° / 39°2.97.50.29.94.1
Dec47° / 32°3.58.81.69.31.5

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Beltsville gets around 9.5 in of rain and snow over 26 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%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 7 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

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 Beltsville

In seasonPeak

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

Beltsville 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 Beltsville?

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.

1.0
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 Beltsville.

What to pack for Beltsville in Winter

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

In winter, Beltsville sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Beltsville in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 39°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 29 mi away) is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 16 to Oct 5 — 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
Feb36Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr47Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun68Refreshing
Jul76Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep74Refreshing
Oct65Cool
Nov53Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Beltsville 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 Beltsville peaks around July 10 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 10UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Beltsville 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 Beltsville is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Beltsville?

Beltsville sits at 39.0°N, 76.9°W, 135 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Calverton, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Beltsville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Beltsville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 161 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 607 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,064 ft.

The land around Beltsville is covered by trees (53%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
607 ft
50 miles
2,064 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Calverton 2.5 mi · Greenbelt 2.5 mi · South Laurel 3.7 mi · Fairland 3.7 mi · College Park 4.3 mi · Adelphi 4.3 mi · White Oak 4.3 mi · Langley Park 5.0 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 Beltsville (39.0348°, -76.9075°, elevation 135 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.