Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Laurel Maryland, United States

In Laurel, the summers are warm and humid; the winters are very cold, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 25°F to 87°F and is rarely below 12°F or above 94°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Laurel for warm-weather activities are from early June to early July and from late July to late September.

The hot season lasts for 3.5 months, from May 29 to September 15, with an average daily high temperature above 78°F. The hottest month of the year in Laurel is July, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 30 to March 3, with an average daily high temperature below 51°F. The coldest month of the year in Laurel is January, with an average low of 26°F and high of 42°F.

In Laurel, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Laurel begins around July 2 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around November 12.

The clearest month of the year in Laurel is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 12 and lasts for 7.7 months, ending around July 2.

The cloudiest month of the year in Laurel is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 52% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Laurel varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from April 8 to August 25, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Laurel is July, with an average of 11.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.4 months, from August 25 to April 8. The month with the fewest wet days in Laurel is January, with an average of 6.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Laurel is July, with an average of 11.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 38% on July 12.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Laurel experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Laurel. The month with the most rain in Laurel is May, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Laurel is January, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Laurel experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from November 15 to March 27, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Laurel is February, with an average snowfall of 7.1 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.6 months, from March 27 to November 15. The least snow falls around July 18, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Laurel varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 25 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 55 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:40 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 56 minutes later at 7:36 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:44 PM on December 6, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 53 minutes later at 8:37 PM on June 27.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Laurel during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Laurel experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 25 to September 24, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 15% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Laurel is July, with 17.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Laurel is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Laurel experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.7 months, from October 17 to May 8, with average wind speeds of more than 8.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Laurel is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.3 months, from May 8 to October 17. The calmest month of the year in Laurel is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.8 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Laurel varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 2.1 weeks, from March 7 to March 22, with a peak percentage of 32% on March 9. The wind is most often from the west for 1.3 months, from March 22 to May 1; for 3.9 weeks, from June 25 to July 22; and for 4.9 months, from October 10 to March 7, with a peak percentage of 35% on July 5. The wind is most often from the south for 1.8 months, from May 1 to June 25 and for 2.6 months, from July 22 to October 10, with a peak percentage of 35% on August 15.

Laurel is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.3 months, from June 23 to October 1, with an average temperature above 69°F. The month of the year in Laurel with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 77°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.6 months, from December 18 to April 5, with an average temperature below 44°F. The month of the year in Laurel with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 36°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Laurel throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Laurel for general outdoor tourist activities are from early June to early July and from late July to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Laurel for hot-weather activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Laurel typically lasts for 6.3 months (192 days), from around April 13 to around October 22, rarely starting before March 28 or after April 30, and rarely ending before October 4 or after November 9.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Laurel should appear around March 24, only rarely appearing before March 8 or after April 10.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from April 27 to August 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Laurel is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from November 5 to February 9, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Laurel is December, with an average of 2.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Laurel are 39.099 deg latitude, -76.848 deg longitude, and 164 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Laurel contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 230 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 195 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (541 feet). Within 50 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,896 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Laurel is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) and trees (19%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (56%) and trees (36%), and within 50 miles by trees (34%) and cropland (30%).