#16 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Washington, DC?
In 2024, 51% of daytime hours in Washington, DC were enjoyable outdoors: 2,416 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #16 of 35 major US cities. October was the best month and July the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 51%
- Comfortable temp
- 55%
- Too cold
- 27%
- Too hot
- 18%
- Lost to rain
- 1.5%
- Lost to gusts
- 2.6%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22% | 22% | 78% | 0% | 0.0% | 40°F |
| February | 37% | 40% | 60% | 0% | 1.1% | 45°F |
| March | 50% | 55% | 45% | 0% | 1.2% | 53°F |
| April | 68% | 78% | 17% | 5% | 0.5% | 62°F |
| May | 77% | 83% | 2% | 15% | 4.0% | 71°F |
| June | 45% | 49% | 0% | 51% | 0.8% | 82°F |
| July | 18% | 20% | 0% | 80% | 1.2% | 85°F |
| August | 41% | 46% | 0% | 54% | 3.2% | 81°F |
| September | 84% | 88% | 0% | 12% | 3.8% | 73°F |
| October | 87% | 90% | 10% | 0% | 0.0% | 64°F |
| November | 56% | 59% | 41% | 0% | 0.3% | 55°F |
| December | 25% | 28% | 72% | 0% | 1.2% | 41°F |
What limits outdoor time
Washington, DC loses hours at both ends of the year: November through March are often too cold, and June through August are often too hot.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 19% were only comfortable in the sun and 27% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 5°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 11°F cooler in summer. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Washington, DC compares
- New York, NY · #13 · 53%
- Salt Lake City, UT · #14 · 52%
- Atlanta, GA · #15 · 52%
- El Paso, TX · #17 · 51%
- Philadelphia, PA · #18 · 50%
- Las Vegas, NV · #19 · 50%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Washington, DC get?
2,416 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 51% of daytime hours, about 186 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #16 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Washington, DC?
October, when 87% of daytime hours were enjoyable. September (84%) and May (77%) came next. July was the worst month, at 18%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Washington, DC?
Mostly temperature. 27% of daytime hours were too cold and 18% too hot. Rain took another 1.5%, and gusty wind 2.6%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.