Places › Washington, DC
Washington, DC — best months to visit
Monuments, free museums, and cherry-blossom season on the Mall.
Best months for Washington: April, October — cool days around 69°F, rain on about 8 days a month.
45°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 9h 43mFEB
48°F
Rain 9 days
Daylight 10h 40mMAR
56°F
Rain 11 days
Daylight 11h 50mAPR
68°F
★ Best
Rain 11 days
Daylight 13h 10mMAY
76°F
Rain 12 days
Daylight 14h 16mJUN
85°F
Rain 11 days
Daylight 14h 53mJUL
90°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 14h 38mAUG
88°F
Rain 9 days
Daylight 13h 41mSEP
81°F
Rain 9 days
Daylight 12h 24mOCT
69°F
★ Best
Rain 8 days
Daylight 11h 07mNOV
58°F
Rain 8 days
Daylight 10h 00mDEC
49°F
Rain 10 days
Daylight 9h 27m
Averages are the 1991–2020 climate normals (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information) for the station named on each page. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation. Daylight is computed for the middle of the month.
Temperature band (low to high) in each month's color; pale bars behind = total rain for the month. 1991–2020 normals.
All twelve months
| Month | Score | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Rain days | Daylight | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57 | 45° | 30° | 2.86 in | 10 | 9h 43m | A shoulder month |
| February | 64 | 48° | 32° | 2.62 in | 9 | 10h 40m | A shoulder month |
| March | 77 | 56° | 39° | 3.50 in | 11 | 11h 50m | A good month |
| April ★ Best | 91 | 68° | 48° | 3.21 in | 11 | 13h 10m | One of the best months |
| May | 87 | 76° | 58° | 3.94 in | 12 | 14h 16m | One of the best months |
| June | 74 | 85° | 68° | 4.20 in | 11 | 14h 53m | A good month |
| July | 62 | 90° | 72° | 4.33 in | 10 | 14h 38m | A shoulder month |
| August | 70 | 88° | 71° | 3.25 in | 9 | 13h 41m | A good month |
| September | 84 | 81° | 64° | 3.93 in | 9 | 12h 24m | One of the best months |
| October ★ Best | 93 | 69° | 52° | 3.66 in | 8 | 11h 07m | One of the best months |
| November | 84 | 58° | 42° | 2.91 in | 8 | 10h 00m | One of the best months |
| December | 67 | 49° | 34° | 3.41 in | 10 | 9h 27m | A good month |
Score is rule-derived from the same normals — the rules are published on How we pick. Rain days = days with at least 0.01 in of precipitation.
April in Washington: one of the best months (score 91 of 100)
Typical April days in Washington reach about 68°F with nights near 48°F.
- A warm jacket for evenings and early starts.
- Layers — afternoons run about 20° warmer than mornings.
- A waterproof shell — rain falls on about 11 days in a typical April.
October in Washington: one of the best months (score 93 of 100)
Typical October days in Washington reach about 69°F with nights near 52°F.
- A light jacket or fleece for evenings.
- A compact rain layer — about 8 days see rain in a typical October.