Fairfax County, VA Climate

Fairfax, VA County has a humid subtropical climate with warm temperatures throughout the year. Summers in Fairfax are hot and humid, with highs reaching into the mid-80s on average. Winters are mild, with temperatures generally staying above freezing and rarely dipping below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation is abundant all year round, but the spring and fall months tend to be drier than the summer and winter months. The area benefits from its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean which helps moderate temperatures as well as bring high amounts of rainfall.

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

Fairfax County averages 19 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 199 sunny days per year in Fairfax County. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Fairfax County gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 118 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 87 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 25
Rain: averages 43 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 19 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

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

8 Summer - 5.8 Winter

September, May and June are the most pleasant months in Fairfax County, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Fairfax, Virginia	United States
	Unlock	38.1 in.
	19.4 in.	Unlock
	Unlock	106.2 days
	199 days	Unlock
	86.7°	85.8°
	Unlock	21.7°
	7.3	Unlock
	Unlock	4.3
	266 ft.	Unlock

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 County with an average high temperature of 86.7°, which ranks it as about average compared to other places in Virginia. In Fairfax County, there are 3 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Fairfax County are September, May and June.

In Fairfax County, there are 23.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in Virginia.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Fairfax County with an average of 24.9°. This is about average compared to other places in Virginia.

In Fairfax County, there are 92.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Virginia.

In Fairfax County, there are 0.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in Virginia.

The humidity is usually acceptable in Fairfax County 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 County.

May is the wettest month in Fairfax County with 4.4 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 2.8 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 27% of yearly precipitation and 21% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 43.1 inches in Fairfax County means that it is drier than most places in Virginia.

May is the rainiest month in Fairfax County with 11.9 days of rain, and October is the driest month with only 8.2 rainy days. There are 117.6 rainy days annually in Fairfax County, 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 19.4 inches in Fairfax County means that it is snowier than most places in Virginia. January is the snowiest month in Fairfax County with 7.0 inches of snow, and 5 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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