Climateby Month

New Bedford, MA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 99 ft elevation

Summers in New Bedford are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 39°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 37 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is June and September.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
21°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
141
45.9 in of precipitation
Snow a year
37.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is New Bedford?

Normal highs range from 39°F in January to 83°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 39°F (4°C), low 21°F (-6°C) 39° 21° February: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 22°F (-6°C) March: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 28°F (-2°C) April: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 36°F (2°C) May: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 46°F (8°C) June: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 55°F (13°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) 83° 62° August: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 60°F (16°C) September: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 52°F (11°C) October: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 42°F (6°C) November: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 33°F (1°C) December: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 26°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is New Bedford?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 46 in of precipitation.

January: 11 wet days February: 10 wet days 10 March: 11 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 13 wet days September: 12 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 37.2 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 12.9 in of snow 12.9 February: 9.2 in of snow March: 7.3 in of snow April: 1.3 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: 0.2 in of snow December: 6.3 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is New Bedford?

Humidity data is not available for this location.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.2 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: 9.8 hours of daylight December: 9.2 hours of daylight 9.2 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for New Bedford, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowDaylight
January 39°F21°F 3.7 in11 12.9 in 9.6 h
February 41°F22°F 3.0 in10 9.2 in 10.6 h
March 47°F28°F 4.8 in11 7.3 in 12.0 h
April 57°F36°F 4.0 in13 1.3 in 13.3 h
May 67°F46°F 3.3 in13 0.0 in 14.5 h
June 76°F55°F 3.6 in12 0.0 in 15.1 h
July 83°F62°F 3.0 in11 0.0 in 14.8 h
August 81°F60°F 3.8 in13 0.0 in 13.8 h
September 74°F52°F 3.6 in12 0.0 in 12.5 h
October 64°F42°F 4.6 in13 0.0 in 11.1 h
November 54°F33°F 4.3 in11 0.2 in 9.8 h
December 44°F26°F 4.1 in12 6.3 in 9.2 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 New Bedford

By our comfort score, the best months are June and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 300718
Feb 340614
Mar 44177
Apr 57671
May 751770
Jun 791971
Jul 681264
Aug 691462
Sep 802360
Oct 621470
Nov 44372
Dec 330711

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 New Bedford

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 29, and the first fall frost around Oct 15, leaving 167 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for New Bedford
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 29after May 15
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 15before Oct 2
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 15after Apr 30
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 28before Oct 12
Frost-free season167 daysunder 148 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: New Bedford Muni Airport (USW00094726), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Massachusetts.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 102°F (July 22, 2011); the lowest was -12°F (February 21, 2015).

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

Near New Bedford

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: New Bedford Muni Airport (USW00094726), 3.0 mi NNW of the city center, 80 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: E Wareham (USC00192451), 16 mi ENE of the city center, 30 ft (69 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Plymouth Muni Airport (USW00054769), 22 mi NNE of the city center, 149 ft (50 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Boston Logan Intl Airport (USW00014739), 50 mi N of the city center, 12 ft (87 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: daily humidity and wind (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

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