Boston Weather

And how it impacts Boston vacations and travel

Boston weather offers something for everyone . . . sometimes within a very short period!  Boston vacations are so popular partly because of our glorious seasons and spectacular weather days.  Still, if you're planning Boston travel, you need to be prepared for what you might encounter..

Sometimes the Boston weather report shifts from hour to hour.  Our coastal location can create unpredictable weather patterns and cause rapid changes in temperature and other conditions.  If you're planning Boston travel, you'll want to pack with this in mind!

• Beautiful sunny days with clear blue skies so bright and sparkling that you smile as soon as you step outside
• Balmy spring mornings with dew-covered grass and soft breezes
• Crisp fall days and multi-hued foliage 
• Gentle snowflakes drifting down as you walk along streets lined with red brick buildings and gas lights, just like a Currier and Ives scene

Boston weather gives us all of these moments . . . and more.  They make living here wonderful, and Boston vacations memorable.

Photo courtesy of Adam Webb

On the other hand, Boston travel sometimes includes "adventures" such as:

• Howling nor'easters
• Blinding blizzards
• Torrential downpours
• An occasional (although rare) hurricane

Fortunately, a local saying sums up it up accurately: "if you don't like the weather in Boston, just wait one moment."  

Summer thunderstorms end quickly.   Bitter January cold abruptly gives way to a few sunny days in the 50s.  Brilliant sunshine follows on the heels of storms.

Here's the weather forecast for Boston for today.

What can you expect during each season?

Whether you're visiting Boston for just a couple of days or a much longer period, you'll want to know what to expect during each season - as well as what to pack. 

Boston's location in the temperate zone of North America means that we enjoy a continental climate with four distinct seasons.  However, our coastal location also means that Boston weather is subject to storms bringing a lot of moisture picked up over the Atlantic Ocean.

Even though no two years are the same, each season has its own pleasures and occasional inconveniences:

Winter (December, January, February, and sometimes part of March) typically consists of cold days and colder nights.  Some of our most brilliantly beautiful days occur during the winter - clear crisp air, blue skies, bright (if not warm) sunshine, and perhaps sparkling snow on the ground.

During most years, the temperature drops below freezing at night, and may remain below freezing during the day.  Boston weather can be unpredictable.  Some winters are significantly milder than others.  Although some produce a lot of snow, while others have very little.  Fortunately, you can enjoy this by ice skating right in the city, or heading to Massachusetts ski areas less than an hour away.

Generally, temperatures rise somewhat during March - but not always!

Spring (part of March, April, May) usually starts out cold and often windy.  Some springs can be quite rainy, some bring snow as late as April (and I don't mean just a few flakes!), and in some years, cold temperatures last until May. 

In all fairness, the wretched remnants of winter are usually interspersed with gloriously gorgeous warm days.  One year, April 2nd was so warm and beautiful that we spent the day at the beach.  Runners in the Boston Marathon always hope for cool, moist weather.

May can be much warmer, and sometimes even hot.  Boston's flowering trees burst into bloom.  Bostonians flock to the Public Garden to enjoy early bulbs.

If you're here during May, you must stroll through Back Bay and admire the magnificent saucer magnolia trees along Commonwealth Avenue and Marlborough Street. 

You'll begin to see Boston Duck Tours along city neighborhoods and the Charles River . . . maybe you'll even go on one yourself!

Summer (June, July, August) in Boston can be gloriously warm and sunny, hot and miserably humid, or, especially in June, chilly and rainy.  Most summers contain a mixture of all of these conditions - plus thunderstorms.

Now is the time to enjoy being outdoors in the balmy Boston weather of summer.  Stroll along the Boston Esplanade, go for a ride on the Boston Swan Boats in the Public Garden, explore the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and cruise out to the Boston Harbor Islands.

Fortunately, beautiful days outweigh the less than perfect ones.

Fall  (September, October, November) is when Boston weather usually produces the highest number of perfect days. 

Boston fall foliage begins its spectacular annual display.  As the leaves turn from green to crimson and gold, temperatures stay warm.  My fall foliage report gives you weekly updates about what you can see in the city.

Views from observatories such as Prudential Skywalk are usually great due to the clear skies and low humidity (in other words, no haze).

Cooler night temperatures should be a reminder that winter is coming, but bright sunshine during the day makes denial easy. 

Of course, fall can also bring rain - occasionally torrential downpours and even nor'easters (more on that in a moment).  Sometimes snow will fall in November . . . and even occasionally in October.  By the time that Boston Common's Frog Pond opens for ice skating in mid-November, fall foliage season is past and even if the sun still shines brightly and no snow has fallen, the city begins to take on its festive winter appearance. 

Boston weather month by month

What kind of temperatures can you expect while you're visiting?

Boston weather is too unpredictable to give you a concrete answer - but monthly averages will give you a general idea.

Take a look at this chart to find average monthly Boston weather statistics, based on temperatures through 2007.  So that you'll have an idea about the range of variation, we've included record highs and record lows.

You'll also notice that precipitation is fairly evenly distributed among all the months of the year.   We get between 3 and 4 inches of precipitation every month except for February, which of course doesn't have as many days.

Keep in mind that in the winter, 2+ or 3+ inches of precipitation translates into a lot more inches of snow!

To give you a more vivid idea of what to expect on a month-by-month basis, here are Boston weather overviews with photo shows for each month (check back as I continue adding them):

• Boston weather in January - Very cold, usually clear . . . unless snow is falling
• Boston weather in February - Lots of snow . . . except when warm days cause it to melt
• Boston weather in March - Cold and blustery . . . but days get longer and the temperature rises
• Boston weather in April - Giddy excitement sweeps the city as spring begins to arrive
• Boston weather in May - Activities move outdoor, as flowering plants and trees put on a show
• Boston weather in June - Perfect weather . . . except for bursts of humidity and rain
• Boston weather in July - Hot! Cruise to the Boston Harbor Islands or head to the beach
• Boston weather in August - Lazy, steamy, hot days . . . markets overflow with ripe produce
• Boston weather in September - Air is warm and dry, sky is blue . . . a month of sparkling days
• Boston weather in October - Dry, warm days full of autumn colors . . . although snow is possible
• Boston weather in November - Gorgeous days . . . colder days . . . winter is coming
• Boston weather in December - Days are short and cold; brilliant sunshine competes with snow

What's a Nor'easter?

And other things you need to know about Boston weather

A nor'easter is a storm that occurs when an area of low pressure forms over the Atlantic Ocean and moves up the North American coast as strong northeast winds blow in from the ocean ahead of it.  When the low pressure area and the strong northeast winds collide, a storm - usually quite a ferocious storm - results.  In fact, wind gusts can exceed hurricane strength.

If the low pressure area stays to the left, over land, usually Boston will get just heavy rain.  Well, not just "heavy" - more like torrential downpours.  Flooding usually occurs as well, especially along the coast.

However, if the low pressure goes to the right, moving off-coast over the ocean, watch out!  If the temperature is cold enough, this can turn into a blizzard, bringing heavy snow, very strong wind, and destructive ocean waves.  And if a circular pattern develops off the coast that continues to bring moisture over land, the storm can last for days!

While the frequency of nor'easters can be hard to predict, we typically experience one or more each year - sometimes merely rain, but other times we get the frozen variety.

Are all blizzards nor'easters?  No, blizzards - technically, a storm with winds greater than 35 miles per hour (mph), very low temperatures, and visibility of less than 1/4 mile for 3 or more hours - can form in various ways.  And, of course, not all nor'easters are blizzards because they may produce rain or sleet or some other miserable combination rather than just snow.

The most notorious nor'easter in recent years - the Blizzard of 1978 - dumped huge amounts of snow for 2 days in early February, disrupting electrical power and shutting down the city for a week.  Boston recorded an all-time record for the amount of snow falling within a 24-hour period.  Plows could not keep up.  Many people were trapped on highways for up to 6 days until they could be rescued.  Fallen electrical wires killed a number of people. 

From your perspective, if you're visiting Boston, whether a huge snowstorm is a blizzard or a nor'easter doesn't matter because your response needs to be the same: stay inside until it's over!  Sure, going outside to experience the storm sounds exciting, but it can be dangerous.  Why risk an emergency room visit for frostbite - or worse?

You'll be happy to hear that hurricanes impact Boston much less frequently - but that doesn't mean we never get hit!

On average, the Boston area - meaning within 40 miles (which includes part of Rhode Island and Southern New Hampshire) - gets hit or brushed by a hurricane once in about every 6 years.  A direct hit normally occurs only twice in every century. 

Fortunately, most of the hits and brushes are by small Category 1 (with Cat 5 being the worst) hurricanes.

But that's not always the case.  In 1954, Hurricane Carol struck with such force that high wind gusts toppled the steeple of Old North Church in the North End.  In 1960, Hurricane Donna hit from the south with 80 mph wind.  And in 1991, Hurricane Bob passed over us - quickly, thankfully - with 75 mph wind.

As with nor'easters and blizzards, if a hurricane strikes while you're here, stay inside!  Although Boston Harbor often protects the city from the brunt of the storm surges and flooding, tree branches and other articles zooming by due to high winds can be quite dangerous.

Bottom line?  Stay inside on the relatively rare occasions when Boston weather conditions are quite bad.  Otherwise, dress sensibly and feel optimistic that if you don't like the weather at the moment, it's sure to change before too long.