Fairfax, VA Climate


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United States / Virginia / Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro Area / Fairfax City County / Fairfax / Zip Codes
Fairfax, VA has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. Average temperatures in the summer months range from 72°F to 88°F, while average temperatures in the winter months range from 25°F to 47°F. On average, Fairfax receives about 40 inches of rainfall each year and has an average snowfall of 10 inches per year. The area is exposed to thunderstorms during the spring and summer months, as well as tropical cyclones during the fall season. The area also experiences moderate humidity levels throughout the year.

Fairfax, Virginia gets 43 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Fairfax averages 22 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 198 sunny days per year in Fairfax. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Fairfax gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 119 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 86 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 24
Rain: averages 43 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 22 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Fairfax is 7.3 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in Virginia.

8.3 Summer - 5.6 Winter
September, June and May are the most pleasant months in Fairfax, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateFairfax, VirginiaUnited States
  43.0 in.38.1 in.
  21.5 in.27.8 in.
  119.2 days106.2 days
  198 days205 days
  85.7°85.8°
  23.7°21.7°
  7.37
  4.34.3
  433 ft.2443 ft.
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Fairfax with an average high temperature of 85.7°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in Virginia. In Fairfax, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Fairfax are September, June and May.
In Fairfax, there are 18.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Virginia.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Fairfax with an average of 23.7°. This is about average compared to other places in Virginia.
In Fairfax, there are 102.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in Virginia.
In Fairfax, there are 0.6 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in Virginia.
The humidity is usually acceptable in Fairfax but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. July, August and June are the three most uncomfortably humid months in Fairfax.
May is the wettest month in Fairfax with 4.6 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.8 inches. The wettest season is Summer with 27% of yearly precipitation and 20% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 43.0 inches in Fairfax means that it is drier than most places in Virginia.
May is the rainiest month in Fairfax with 12.2 days of rain, and October is the driest month with only 8.2 rainy days. There are 119.2 rainy days annually in Fairfax, which is rainier than most places in Virginia. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 22% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 21.5 inches in Fairfax means that it is one of the snowiest places in Virginia. February is the snowiest month in Fairfax with 7.8 inches of snow, and 5 months of the year have significant snowfall.
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Tayler · Fair Oaks, VA
A wonderful place, IF you can afford it.
Over 4 years ago

I lived in the area for 17 years through high school until I eventually became a truck driver. Having now seen most states extensively, I wanted to fairly review what  More

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Kay · Washington, DC
Poor Quality Housing; Nightmarish Highway System
Over 7 years ago

Living in Fairfax, or any of the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, means dealing with highways that are a Gordian knot of converging lanes and overpasses, making long  More

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Elizabeth · Centreville, VA
High
Over 9 years ago

The Cost of living here is high. Though the standard of living is also high, unless you're making over 50,000/year, it's difficult to both live and build any sort of  More

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