Birch Hill Dam, Massachusetts climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Birch Hill Dam's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 48.6 inches of precipitation and 51 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,234 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBirch Hill Dam
- Station IDUSC00190666
- Location42.63°N 72.12°W
- Elevation855 ft (261 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Birch Hill Dam is 56°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Birch Hill Dam.
- Jan 32° 12°
- Feb 35° 13°
- Mar 43° 21°
- Apr 56° 33°
- May 68° 44°
- Jun 76° 53°
- Jul 82° 59°
- Aug 80° 56°
- Sep 73° 48°
- Oct 60° 36°
- Nov 48° 28°
- Dec 37° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Birch Hill Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.94 in), the least in February (3.21 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 12°F | 22.1°F | 3.48 | 11.3 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 35°F | 13°F | 24.0°F | 3.21 | 15.1 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 21°F | 32.0°F | 3.95 | 10.7 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 33°F | 44.3°F | 3.74 | 2.2 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 44°F | 55.9°F | 3.59 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 76°F | 53°F | 64.8°F | 4.53 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 59°F | 70.1°F | 4.44 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 56°F | 68.1°F | 4.25 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 73°F | 48°F | 60.1°F | 4.27 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 36°F | 47.8°F | 4.94 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 28°F | 37.7°F | 3.85 | 0.9 | 9 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 37°F | 20°F | 28.4°F | 4.34 | 10.7 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 46.3°F | 48.59 | 50.9 | 123 | 8 | 178 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −11°C | −5.5°C | 88 mm | 29 cm |
| February | 2°C | −11°C | −4.4°C | 82 mm | 38 cm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.0°C | 100 mm | 27 cm |
| April | 13°C | 0°C | 6.8°C | 95 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.3°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 12°C | 18.2°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 15°C | 21.2°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 20.1°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.8°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 9°C | −2°C | 3.2°C | 98 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 3°C | −7°C | −2.0°C | 110 mm | 27 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00190666; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Birch Hill Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00190666.
When is the last frost at Birch Hill Dam?
In Birch Hill Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 19 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 61 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 148 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 172 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Birch Hill Dam in zone 5b in ZIP code 01436, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (16 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Massachusetts · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00190666; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Birch Hill Dam?
In a normal year in Birch Hill Dam, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 178 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 123 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 178a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 40high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 123a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 99°F, on July 8, 2010; the lowest is −34°F, on January 18, 1957.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 64.06 in; the snowiest season is 1960–61, with 104.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00190666; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00190666. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Birch Hill Dam?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Birch Hill Dam, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (77%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 1.8 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 68% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 71% | 5.7 |
| July | 77% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 76% | 4.3 |
| October | 67% | 2.7 |
| November | 68% | 1.9 |
| December | 62% | 1.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Birch Hill Dam record?
A normal year at Birch Hill Dam brings 7,234 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 445 cooling degree days, 51% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,282 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,330 | 0 |
| February | 1,148 | 0 |
| March | 1,025 | 0 |
| April | 621 | 1 |
| May | 299 | 17 |
| June | 88 | 82 |
| July | 17 | 175 |
| August | 34 | 128 |
| September | 186 | 39 |
| October | 535 | 2 |
| November | 819 | 0 |
| December | 1,133 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,234 | 445 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00190666. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Birch Hill Dam been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 49.4°F, 3.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.3°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.4°F | +3.1°F | – | – |
Over 51 complete years from 1950 to 2021, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.1°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00190666; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Birch Hill Dam's climate compare?
Birch Hill Dam is warmer than 2 of the 35 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 23. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.3°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Birch Hill Dam is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Birch Hill Dam share this climate record?
Baldwinville has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Baldwinville, MA2,454 people · 3 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Birch Hill Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Birch Hill Dam?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Birch Hill Dam?
Yes: 51 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (15.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Birch Hill Dam?
October, with 4.94 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.21 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Birch Hill Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Birch Hill Dam in zone 5b in ZIP code 01436, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Birch Hill Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tully Lake, MA5 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Orange, MA9 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Ashburnham N, MA10 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Ashburnham, MA11 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made