Climateby Month

Nantucket, MA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 21 ft elevation

Summers in Nantucket are mild; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 76°F in August and fall to 40°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 25 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is July and August.

Warmest month
76°F
August normal high
Coldest month
27°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
141
40.9 in of precipitation
Snow a year
25.3 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Nantucket?

Normal highs range from 40°F in January to 76°F in August.

20°30°40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 27°F (-3°C) 40° 27° February: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 27°F (-3°C) March: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 32°F (0°C) April: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 39°F (4°C) May: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 47°F (8°C) June: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 56°F (13°C) July: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 63°F (17°C) August: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 62°F (17°C) 76° 62° September: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 57°F (14°C) October: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 49°F (9°C) November: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 40°F (4°C) December: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 32°F (0°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Nantucket?

August has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 41 in of precipitation.

January: 12 wet days February: 10 wet days 10 March: 11 wet days April: 12 wet days May: 12 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 12 wet days August: 13 wet days 13 September: 13 wet days October: 13 wet days November: 11 wet days December: 12 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 25.3 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 8.8 in of snow 8.8 February: 8.1 in of snow March: 4.7 in of snow April: 0.3 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.0 in of snow December: 3.4 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Nantucket?

Humidity data is not available for this location.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.

January: 9.6 hours of daylight February: 10.6 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.5 hours of daylight June: 15.1 hours of daylight 15.1 July: 14.8 hours of daylight August: 13.8 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.9 hours of daylight December: 9.3 hours of daylight 9.3 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Nantucket, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowDaylight
January 40°F27°F 3.2 in12 8.8 in 9.6 h
February 40°F27°F 2.8 in10 8.1 in 10.6 h
March 44°F32°F 3.8 in11 4.7 in 12.0 h
April 52°F39°F 3.6 in12 0.3 in 13.3 h
May 61°F47°F 3.0 in12 0.0 in 14.5 h
June 69°F56°F 3.0 in12 0.0 in 15.1 h
July 75°F63°F 2.7 in12 0.0 in 14.8 h
August 76°F62°F 3.0 in13 0.0 in 13.8 h
September 70°F57°F 3.6 in13 0.0 in 12.5 h
October 62°F49°F 4.4 in13 0.0 in 11.1 h
November 53°F40°F 3.8 in11 0.0 in 9.9 h
December 45°F32°F 3.9 in12 3.4 in 9.3 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Nantucket

By our comfort score, the best months are July and August.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 310716
Feb 340614
Mar 42068
Apr 51171
May 64860
Jun 852260
Jul 912740
Aug 882750
Sep 852750
Oct 591170
Nov 43171
Dec 34089

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. Comfortable days here are judged by temperature only (no humidity station nearby). How the score works.

Frost dates in Nantucket

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 13, and the first fall frost around Nov 8, leaving 208 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Nantucket
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 13after Apr 27
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 8before Oct 25
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 31after Apr 12
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 23before Nov 5
Frost-free season208 daysunder 190 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Nantucket Mem Airport (USW00014756), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Massachusetts.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 92°F (June 21, 2012); the lowest was -3°F (January 16, 2004).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Nantucket

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Nantucket Mem Airport (USW00014756), 2.9 mi SE of the city center, 45 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Edgartown (USC00192501), 23 mi WNW of the city center, 30 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Plymouth Muni Airport (USW00054769), 54 mi NW of the city center, 149 ft (128 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover and daily humidity and wind (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error