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Sterling, Virginia climate

Cfa Humid subtropical

Sterling has a seasonal mild-temperate climate (Humid subtropical, Köppen Cfa). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 31°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −4°C at night. Precipitation is fairly even year-round, totalling about 1098 mm. Light snow accumulates each winter (53 cm of snow per year on average).

☀️ Summers

Hot

Highs near 31°C in July.

About 33 days a year above 32 °C

❄️ Winters

Cold

Lows near −4°C in January.

About 102 freezing nights a year

🌧️ Rain & snow

Wet

About 1098 mm of rain a year, plus 53 cm of snow.

Snow falls through the winter months

⛅ Sky & trend

Partly cloudy

A roughly even mix of sun and cloud.

+0.7 °C vs 50 years ago

Temperature & precipitation

Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation split into rain and snow · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figures

Clear vs cloudy days

Share of days each month that are clear, partly cloudy or cloudy · 1991–2020 · hover a month for the day counts

Sterling climate normals (1991–2020)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	6	8	13	19	24	28	31	30	26	20	14	8
Avg temp (°C)	1	2	7	13	18	23	25	24	20	14	8	3
Avg low (°C)	−4	−3	1	6	12	17	19	18	14	7	2	−2
Precipitation (mm)	75	66	89	88	120	109	105	90	100	93	80	84
Snowfall (cm)	18	18	10	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	7

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Avg high (°C)	6	8	13	19	24	28
Avg temp (°C)	1	2	7	13	18	23
Avg low (°C)	−4	−3	1	6	12	17
Precipitation (mm)	75	66	89	88	120	109
Snowfall (cm)	18	18	10	0	—	—

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	31	30	26	20	14	8
Avg temp (°C)	25	24	20	14	8	3
Avg low (°C)	19	18	14	7	2	−2
Precipitation (mm)	105	90	100	93	80	84
Snowfall (cm)	—	—	—	—	1	7

How often — frequency of weather events

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Days with measurable rain (days)	10	9	11	11	13	11	11	9	9	8	9	10
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	—	—	—	0.4	1	6	13	9	3	0.2	—	—
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	24	21	15	4	0.2	—	—	—	—	2	13	22
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days)	2	2	1	0.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.1	0.9

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Days with measurable rain (days)	10	9	11	11	13	11
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	—	—	—	0.4	1	6
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	24	21	15	4	0.2	—
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days)	2	2	1	0.0	—	—

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Days with measurable rain (days)	11	9	9	8	9	10
Days with high ≥ 32°C (days)	13	9	3	0.2	—	—
Days with low ≤ 0°C (days)	—	—	—	2	13	22
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days)	—	—	—	—	0.1	0.9

Sky & atmosphere

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Cloud cover (%)	62	62	62	62	62	59	57	55	54	52	58	61
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	6	5	6	6	6	6	7	8	9	10	7	6
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	11	10	10	9	11	12	13	12	10	10	10	11
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	14	13	15	14	15	12	12	11	11	11	13	14
Relative humidity (%)	83	82	79	77	77	73	67	67	70	75	78	83
Wind speed (m/s)	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.3	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.9	2.0

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Cloud cover (%)	62	62	62	62	62	59
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	6	5	6	6	6	6
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	11	10	10	9	11	12
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	14	13	15	14	15	12
Relative humidity (%)	83	82	79	77	77	73
Wind speed (m/s)	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.3	1.8	1.6

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Cloud cover (%)	57	55	54	52	58	61
Clear days (≤ 30% cloud)	7	8	9	10	7	6
Partly cloudy days (30–70%)	13	12	10	10	10	11
Cloudy days (≥ 70%)	12	11	11	11	13	14
Relative humidity (%)	67	67	70	75	78	83
Wind speed (m/s)	1.5	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.9	2.0

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Washington Dulles Intl AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00093738), about 8 km from the city centre.

Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.

How we build these numbers →