Massachusetts Climate

What's it Like Here?

Massachusetts climate derives itself from it's location in New England at the northeast part of the United States. This gives it some of the most unique climate in the entire country. Enjoying each of the four distinct seasons, the weather in Massachusetts moves from the warm sun of summer to cold, snowy winters; the overall pattern described as a "humid continental climate" .

The Massachusetts climate of typical summer weather averages a high of 80°F with comfortable nights of 60-65°F. Winter brings temperatures that hover right around the freezing mark of 32°F, give or take five degrees.

Although there is some general regularity with temperature levels, Massachusetts climate does have its fair share of extreme temps. These can range from hot summer days above 90°F and below 0°F temps in the winter.

As with many states, Massachusetts has its fair share of summer thundershowers, around 30 or so per year. These storms roll through very quickly and weather is back to normal in no time.

Photo courtesy of photoholic1

It is the winter storms that bring the fun to the state of Massachusetts. Nor’easters can often drop a foot or more of snow, making winter sport activities a must on many people’s fun-things-to-do list.

The wild card when it comes to Massachusetts climate is the coast along the eastern part of the state including the Boston area, Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Although the coast provides less extreme temperature fluctuations than the inner part of the state, it can be prone to the occasional storm rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean, especially around Cape Cod and the bay areas.

The central and western parts of Massachusetts can be slightly more humid than the coast during the summer, and also receive more snowfall during the winter, particularly in and around the Berkshire mountain range.

Other than the snowfalls which provide skiing and snowboarding in the winter months, the main attraction and most widely known attribute of weather in Massachusetts is that of the perfect fall weather that provides the brilliant foliage during the first two weeks of October.

Just as the heat of the summer winds down and the air becomes crisp, the dense forests of oak and maple trees begin to turn, producing a blanket of colorful leaves that stretches as far as the eye can see.

This view is particularly impressive in the western part of the state near Stockbridge, making wine tasting at local vineyards a perfect weekend trip during this time of year.

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Massachusetts Climate - Monthly Temperature
and Precipitation Averages

Massachusetts climate changes during the seasons and with that so do the temperatures and amounts of precipitation we receive. Here are a few charts for some of the major Massachusetts cities and towns.

*All units are in fahrenheit and inches. Use the converters below if you'd like to change the numbers to celsius or centimeters. All data from Weather.com.*

Massachusetts Climate - Springfield Averages

On average in Springfield, the warmest month is July with a high of 104°F recorded in 1930. January is the coolest month on average with a low of -18°F in 1984. May, June and November are the wettest months bringing an average of 4.10 inches of precipitation.

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Massachusetts Climate - Worcester Averages

July is on average the warmest month in Worcester with a high of 102°F recorded in 1911. The average coolest month is January with a record low of -24°F in 1943. October on average is the wettest month with 4.67 inches of precipitation.

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Massachusetts Climate - Boston Averages

In the city of Boston, MA the warmest month on average is July with a record high of 104°F in 1911. January is the coolest month on average and a low of -30°F was recorded in 1946. Now that is COLD!

The max average preciptation occurs in November.

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Massachusetts Climate - Provincetown Averages

As Provincetown is surrounded by water, you may notice that the temperature fluctuations aren't as extreme as other inland areas.

July on average is the warmest month with a record high of 98°F in 1964. January is the coolest month on average with a record low of -4°F in 1976. The most precipitation on average.

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