Fort Washington in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Fort Washington sees average daytime highs around 46°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 9.3 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 46°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Fort Washington's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Fort Washington's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 46°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 31°F
- Precipitation
- 9.3 in
- 26 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 1.3
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Fort Washington in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 46°F.
A typical winter day in Fort Washington reaches about 46°F and drops to 31°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Fort Washington
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.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Fort Washington 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 | 44° / 29° | 3.0 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 9.6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 47° / 31° | 2.8 | 8.2 | 2.4 | 10.5 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 55° / 38° | 3.9 | 10.3 | 1.6 | 11.7 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 66° / 48° | 3.3 | 9.9 | 0.1 | 13 | 6.0 |
| May | 75° / 57° | 3.6 | 11.1 | 0 | 14.1 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 84° / 67° | 3.5 | 10.8 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 88° / 71° | 3.8 | 11.9 | 0 | 14.4 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 86° / 70° | 3.5 | 9.7 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 79° / 62° | 4.2 | 9.2 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 68° / 51° | 3.4 | 7.8 | 0 | 11 | 6.7 |
| Nov | 57° / 40° | 2.9 | 7.3 | 0.2 | 9.9 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 48° / 34° | 3.4 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 9.3 | 1.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Fort Washington gets around 9.3 in of rain and snow over 26 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 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
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.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Fort Washington
None of Fort Washington's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Fort Washington sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Fort Washington?
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 Fort Washington.
What to pack for Fort Washington in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Fort Washington sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Fort Washington 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 35 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 38 | 37 | 40 | 47 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 78 | 74 | 65 | 54 | 45 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | Bracing |
| Feb | 37 | Bracing |
| Mar | 40 | Bracing |
| Apr | 47 | Bracing |
| May | 57 | Bracing |
| Jun | 68 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 76 | Warm |
| Aug | 78 | Warm |
| Sep | 74 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 65 | Cool |
| Nov | 54 | Bracing |
| Dec | 45 | Bracing |
UV index in Fort Washington in Winter
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 Fort Washington 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Fort Washington 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 Fort Washington 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
Where is Fort Washington?
Fort Washington sits at 38.7°N, 77.0°W, 105 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Hunt, 2.5 mi away.
Topography around Fort Washington
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Fort Washington.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fort Washington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft around an average of 72 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,539 ft.
The land around Fort Washington is covered by trees (58%) and water (27%) within 2 miles, trees (67%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) 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 Fort Washington (38.7073°, -77.023°, elevation 105 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.