Chesapeake in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Chesapeake sees average daytime highs around 52°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 9.9 in of precipitation over about 27 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 52°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Chesapeake's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chesapeake's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 52°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 36°F
- Precipitation
- 9.9 in
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 2.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Chesapeake in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 52°F.
A typical winter day in Chesapeake reaches about 52°F and drops to 36°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Chesapeake
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 74 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Chesapeake 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.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° / 34° | 3.4 | 9.1 | 1.3 | 9.8 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 52° / 35° | 3.0 | 9 | 1.1 | 10.6 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 59° / 42° | 3.9 | 10.4 | 0.5 | 11.7 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 68° / 51° | 3.3 | 9.7 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.4 |
| May | 75° / 59° | 3.7 | 10.9 | 0 | 13.9 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 83° / 68° | 4.1 | 11.7 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 87° / 73° | 5.2 | 15.1 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 85° / 71° | 4.7 | 12.9 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.0 |
| Sep | 80° / 66° | 4.7 | 11.1 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.4 |
| Oct | 71° / 55° | 3.7 | 7.9 | 0 | 11 | 7.0 |
| Nov | 61° / 45° | 3.4 | 8.5 | 0.1 | 10 | 5.3 |
| Dec | 53° / 38° | 3.5 | 9.3 | 0.5 | 9.5 | 3.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Chesapeake gets around 9.9 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Chesapeake
None of Chesapeake's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Chesapeake sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Chesapeake?
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.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chesapeake.
What to pack for Chesapeake in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Chesapeake sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Chesapeake in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 47°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 22 mi away) is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 43°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 16 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 46 | 43 | 46 | 53 | 63 | 72 | 77 | 78 | 75 | 68 | 59 | 52 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | Bracing |
| Feb | 43 | Bracing |
| Mar | 46 | Bracing |
| Apr | 53 | Bracing |
| May | 63 | Cool |
| Jun | 72 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 77 | Warm |
| Aug | 78 | Warm |
| Sep | 75 | Warm |
| Oct | 68 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 59 | Cool |
| Dec | 52 | Bracing |
UV index in Chesapeake in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chesapeake peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Chesapeake in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Chesapeake is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Chesapeake?
Chesapeake sits at 36.8°N, 76.3°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Portsmouth, 1.9 mi away.
Topography around Chesapeake
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Chesapeake.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Chesapeake has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.
The land around Chesapeake is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (28%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Chesapeake (36.819°, -76.2749°, elevation 10 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.