Burlington has a humid continental climate , with cold winters and warm, humid summers. The monthly daily average temperatures range from 20.9 °F (−6.2 °C) in January to 72.4 °F (22.4 °C) in July. The annual precipitation of 37.5 inches (952 mm) is well-distributed throughout the year, but the summer months are the wettest. The city’s location east of Lake Champlain sometimes accounts for localized snow squalls, producing up to 13 inches (33 cm) in 12 hours on rare occasions. Annual snowfall averages 81.2 inches (206 cm), but this figure can fluctuate greatly from one year to another. Extremes have ranged from −30 °F (−34 °C) on January 15, 1957, and February 12, 1979, to 101 °F (38 °C) on August 11, 1944. The most snowfall from a single storm is 33.1 inches (84.1 cm), which fell January 2–3, 2010.
For the Northeast United States, a heat wave is defined as having three consecutive days of 90 °F (32 °C) or more. There were six such heat waves from 2000–2009.