Climateby Month

Worcester, MA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 484 ft elevation

Worcester has warm summers and cold and snowy winters. Highs peak at 80°F in July and fall to 32°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 73 in a year. By our comfort score the best months are May, June and September.

Warmest month
80°F
July normal high
Coldest month
17°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
137
48.3 in of precipitation
Snow a year
72.9 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Worcester?

Normal highs range from 32°F in January to 80°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 32°F (0°C), low 17°F (-8°C) 32° 17° February: normal high 35°F (2°C), low 19°F (-7°C) March: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 26°F (-3°C) April: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 37°F (3°C) May: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 47°F (8°C) June: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 56°F (13°C) July: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 62°F (17°C) 80° 62° August: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 61°F (16°C) September: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 53°F (12°C) October: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 42°F (6°C) November: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 33°F (1°C) December: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 23°F (-5°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Worcester?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 48 in of precipitation.

January: 12 wet days February: 11 wet days March: 12 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days September: 10 wet days 10 October: 12 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 72.9 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 18.2 in of snow February: 21.2 in of snow 21.2 March: 13.7 in of snow April: 1.9 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: 1.1 in of snow November: 1.9 in of snow December: 14.9 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Worcester?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 9 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 3 muggy days July: 9 muggy days 9 August: 7 muggy days September: 3 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Orange Municipal Airport, 33 mi NW of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.

January: 9.5 hours of daylight February: 10.6 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.4 hours of daylight May: 14.6 hours of daylight June: 15.2 hours of daylight 15.2 July: 14.9 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 Worcester, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 32°F17°F 3.5 in12 18.2 in 0 9.5 h
February 35°F19°F 3.3 in11 21.2 in 0 10.6 h
March 43°F26°F 4.2 in12 13.7 in 0 11.9 h
April 56°F37°F 4.1 in13 1.9 in 0 13.4 h
May 67°F47°F 3.6 in13 0.0 in 0 14.6 h
June 75°F56°F 4.2 in12 0.0 in 3 15.2 h
July 80°F62°F 3.9 in11 0.0 in 9 14.9 h
August 78°F61°F 4.1 in10 0.0 in 7 13.8 h
September 71°F53°F 4.2 in10 0.0 in 3 12.5 h
October 59°F42°F 4.8 in12 1.1 in 0 11.1 h
November 48°F33°F 4.0 in11 1.9 in 0 9.8 h
December 38°F23°F 4.3 in12 14.9 in 0 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 Worcester

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

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 250725
Feb 290621
Mar 391714
Apr 55583
May 711480
Jun 731580
Jul 65972
Aug 681361
Sep 701660
Oct 54771
Nov 39277
Dec 260821

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. How the score works.

Frost dates in Worcester

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 23, and the first fall frost around Oct 21, leaving 181 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Worcester
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 23after May 5
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 21before Oct 6
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 11after Apr 22
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 1before Oct 17
Frost-free season181 daysunder 160 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: Worcester Rgnl Airport (USW00094746), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Massachusetts.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 96°F (July 22, 2011, and 1 other day); the lowest was -16°F (February 14, 2016).

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

Near Worcester

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall and frost dates: Worcester Rgnl Airport (USW00094746), 3.7 mi W of the city center, 1,000 ft (516 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snow depth: Northbridge 2 (USC00195524), 12 mi SSE of the city center, 315 ft (169 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Boston Logan Intl Airport (USW00014739), 41 mi E of the city center, 12 ft (472 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Orange Municipal Airport (725085-54756), 33 mi NW of the city center, 544 ft (60 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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