Climate and average weather in Staunton

In Staunton, the summers are hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late July to late October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Staunton typically varies from 25°F to 83°F, and is rarely below 10°F or above 90°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Staunton for warm-weather activities are from mid April to early July and late July to late October.

Hottest
Jul
83°
Coldest
Jan
25°
Wettest
Sep
4.0 in
Driest
Feb
2.6 in
Rain / yr
38.8 in
114 wet days
Daylight
9.3–14.7 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,417 ft
38.1°N
Clearest
Oct
50% cloud

Staunton is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
471/km²
people per km²
Founded
1747

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Staunton weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late July to late October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Staunton, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.1 months, from May 22 to September 22, with daily high temperatures above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Staunton is July, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 30 to March 3, with daily high temperatures below 49°F. The coldest month of the year in Staunton is January, with an average low of 25°F and high of 42°F.

Days typically run about 19°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan4225
Feb4527
Mar5334
Apr6443
May7252
Jun7960
Jul8364
Aug8263
Sep7556
Oct6544
Nov5435
Dec4529

How hot and cold Staunton really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 17°F (around January 22), with roughly 139 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan42421825
Feb45452027
Mar53532834
Apr64644043
May72725152
Jun80796060
Jul84836464
Aug82826363
Sep75755656
Oct65654244
Nov54543035
Dec45452329

Average hourly temperature in Staunton

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 83°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 25°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Staunton weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 25°2.98.13.29.70.2
Feb45° / 27°2.67.83.110.51.0
Mar53° / 34°3.610.42.311.73.1
Apr64° / 43°3.3100.4135.6
May72° / 52°3.912.80146.2
Jun79° / 60°3.211.5014.66.3
Jul83° / 64°3.611.8014.45.6
Aug82° / 63°2.810.5013.56.3
Sep75° / 56°4.08.8012.37.0
Oct65° / 44°3.07.10.2116.3
Nov54° / 35°2.87.40.59.93.5
Dec45° / 29°3.18.32.29.41.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Staunton gets about 38.8 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Mar 6 to Aug 24, peaking in May at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Oct 14.

September is the wettest month by volume, with 4.0 in over about 9 wet days; February is the driest, with 2.6 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMay 14 · 42%Oct 14 · 23%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan268
Feb288
Mar3310
Apr3510
May4013
Jun3912
Jul3712
Aug3511
Sep289
Oct247
Nov257
Dec278

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Staunton collects about 38.8 in of rain across 114 wet days — roughly 3.2 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. September is the wettest month with 4.0 in, while February is the driest at just 2.6 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 30% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

00.511.522.533.544.55JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec2.92.63.63.33.93.23.62.84.03.02.83.1
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan2.983
Feb2.683
Mar3.6102
Apr3.3100
May3.9130
Jun3.2120
Jul3.6120
Aug2.8110
Sep4.090
Oct3.070
Nov2.871
Dec3.182

Snow in Staunton

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Staunton averages about 12 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 10 to Apr 12 — about 5.1 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 3 days of snow and an estimated 8 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 34 in of snow.

0246JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 29
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan38
Feb310
Mar28
Apr00
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov11
Dec27

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Staunton, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around July 31 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around November 30. The clearest month is October, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 57% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around March 11 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around July 30. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 57% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 15 · 57%May 15 · 42%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5050
Feb4852
Mar4852
Apr4654
May4357
Jun4654
Jul4852
Aug5149
Sep5347
Oct5743
Nov5347
Dec4951

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 20, brings about 14 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around December 19, only 9 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.77:375:14
Feb10.57:155:47
Mar11.76:356:17
Apr13.05:476:46
May14.05:117:14
Jun14.64:577:36
Jul14.45:107:34
Aug13.55:367:05
Sep12.36:036:18
Oct11.06:325:31
Nov9.97:054:58
Dec9.47:324:53

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Staunton averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 13 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.4 months, from around Aug 31 to Feb 11. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 13 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is May, down near 8 sunny days — about 43% fewer than the October peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightOct 1313 daysMay 227 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan11Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar10Mixed
Apr9Mixed
May8Gloomy
Jun7Gloomy
Jul8Gloomy
Aug9Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct13Mixed
Nov12Mixed
Dec11Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Staunton, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.2 months, from around May 19 to September 24. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 74% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 25 to May 18, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan 19 · 100%Jul 24 · 22%muggycomfortabledryhumidcomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan991000
Feb1000000
Mar991000
Apr937100
May61201630
Jun262228230
Jul91733393
Aug122132331
Sep422521120
Oct8311420
Nov982000
Dec991000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Staunton is typically calm, near 5 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Oct 24 to May 13. The windiest month is March, averaging about 6 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 14 to Oct 23, with August the calmest month at about 4 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeMar 3 · 6 mphAug 10 · 4 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan6calm
Feb6calm
Mar6calm
Apr6calm
May5calm
Jun4calm
Jul4calm
Aug4calm
Sep4calm
Oct5calm
Nov5calm
Dec6calm

Best time to visit Staunton

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Staunton throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid August, Staunton is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Staunton for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid April to early July and again from late July to late October, with a peak score in the second week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 14 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.2poor
Feb1.0poor
Mar3.1poor
Apr5.6good
May6.2good
Jun6.2good
Jul5.6good
Aug6.3good
Sep7.0good
Oct6.2good
Nov3.5poor
Dec1.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Staunton for hot-weather activities is from late May to late September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 10 · 6.8

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Staunton, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 83°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 42°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Staunton sees daytime highs around 83°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Staunton by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Staunton peaks around June 22 at about 10 (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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Staunton

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb2.50
Mar5.50
Apr6.52.5
May84.5
Jun8.56
Jul8.55.5
Aug7.54.5
Sep62
Oct40
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Staunton by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Staunton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Staunton typically lasts about 262 days, from around March 12 to November 28 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 14 to October 21.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1250%Apr 1490%Oct 2190%Nov 2850%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan2531
Feb2828
Mar5731
Apr9012
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct9211
Nov6230
Dec3631

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Staunton banks about 3,111 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr112
May363
Jun595
Jul736
Aug690
Sep471
Oct144
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Staunton receives about 4.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.1 and 6.2 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 18. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.1 kWh/m² — roughly 66% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 306.2 kWhDec 172.1 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.4Moderate
Feb3.3Moderate
Mar4.3Bright
Apr5.3Bright
May5.8Bright
Jun6.2Intense
Jul6.0Bright
Aug5.3Bright
Sep4.3Bright
Oct3.5Moderate
Nov2.6Moderate
Dec2.1Moderate

Where is Staunton?

Staunton sits at 38.1°N, 79.1°W, 1,417 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 11 mi away.

Topography around Staunton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Staunton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft around an average of 1,526 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,686 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,701 ft.

The land around Staunton is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (46%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
719 ft
10 miles
1,686 ft
50 miles
4,701 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Nearby: Waynesboro 11 mi · Harrisonburg 24 mi · Charlottesville 34 mi · Lynchburg 51 mi · West Lynchburg 52 mi · Culpeper 63 mi · Front Royal 71 mi · Roanoke 77 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 Staunton (38.1499°, -79.0732°, elevation 1,417 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).