May brings 22°C daytime highs, 98mm of precipitation across about 11 wet days and 14.2 hours of daylight — best for hiking and cycling. The strongest run of the year is August to October. January is the quietest month: quiet and local, and still good for cabin weekends, low-angle light and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Washington DC. Month ratings compare months within Washington DC only — they are not a ranking of Washington DC against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | May — Hiking, Cycling |
| Best 3-month window | August–October |
| Quietest month | January — Quiet and local |
| Driest month | February — 66mm |
| Wettest month | July — 100mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 31°C / February 6°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 1003mm over roughly 113 rain days |
January gets roughly 28% less precipitation than May — 71mm against 98mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Washington DC swings 25°C between July (31°C) and February (6°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 14.7 hours of daylight against just 9.3 in December — a 5-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
February is the driest month at 66mm across roughly 7 wet days, while July peaks at 100mm.
August is almost as good as May, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Washington DC stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Washington DC, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Washington DC beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 6°C / -2°C | 71mm (rain/snow) | 8 | 5h | 9.6h | Cabin weekends · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 6°C / -2°C | 66mm (rain/snow) | 7 | 5h | 10.5h | Cabin weekends · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | 10°C / 1°C | 89mm | 10 | 5h | 11.8h | Spring greenery · Quiet and local |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 15°C / 7°C | 76mm | 9 | 6h | 13.1h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| May | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 12°C | 98mm | 11 | 6h | 14.2h | Hiking · Cycling |
| June | ★★★★☆ | 27°C / 18°C | 96mm | 11 | 5h | 14.7h | Beach days · Swimming |
| July | ★★★★★ | 31°C / 21°C | 100mm | 11 | 11h | 14.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 31°C / 21°C | 79mm | 9 | 11h | 13.5h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★★★★ | 27°C / 18°C | 94mm | 11 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| October | ★★★★★ | 22°C / 12°C | 86mm | 10 | 6h | 10.9h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| November | ★★★★☆ | 15°C / 7°C | 73mm | 8 | 6h | 9.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 10°C / 1°C | 77mm | 9 | 5h | 9.3h | Festive season · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | August | 11h daily sunshine, 31°C highs and only 9 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | October | 22°C highs with 10.9h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | August | 11h of sun and 13.5h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | October | Scores 67/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | November | 15°C highs and 7°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Washington DC is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
May is the best all-round month in Washington DC: 22°C highs, 98mm of precipitation and 14.2 hours of daylight, which suits hiking and cycling. The strongest three-month window is August to October.
January — 6°C highs, 71mm of precipitation over roughly 8 days and 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for cabin weekends, low-angle light and quiet and local.
February is the driest month at 66mm over about 7 rain days, against 100mm in July. Across the year Washington DC records around 1003mm.
Yes — conditions in Washington DC stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 9.3 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.