Buffumville Lake, Massachusetts climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Buffumville Lake's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 48.9 inches of precipitation and 47 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.9°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,241 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBuffumville Lake
- Station IDUSC00190998
- Location42.12°N 71.91°W
- Elevation520 ft (159 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Buffumville Lake is 59°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 34%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Buffumville Lake.
- Jan 34° 15°
- Feb 37° 15°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 57° 34°
- May 69° 45°
- Jun 77° 55°
- Jul 83° 60°
- Aug 81° 59°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 61° 39°
- Nov 50° 30°
- Dec 39° 21°
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 Buffumville Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.84 in), the least in February (3.21 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 15°F | 24.3°F | 3.77 | 14.2 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 15°F | 25.6°F | 3.21 | 12.6 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.5°F | 4.43 | 8.6 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 34°F | 45.7°F | 4.33 | 2.6 | 12 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 56.9°F | 3.60 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 55°F | 65.9°F | 4.05 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 60°F | 71.4°F | 3.90 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 59°F | 69.7°F | 4.19 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 51°F | 62.3°F | 4.07 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 39°F | 50.1°F | 4.84 | 0.1 | 11 | <1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 30°F | 40.0°F | 3.90 | 1.4 | 10 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 21°F | 30.0°F | 4.56 | 7.1 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 37°F | 48.0°F | 48.85 | 46.6 | 130 | 8 | 153 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −10°C | −4.3°C | 96 mm | 36 cm |
| February | 3°C | −10°C | −3.6°C | 82 mm | 32 cm |
| March | 7°C | −5°C | 1.4°C | 113 mm | 22 cm |
| April | 14°C | 1°C | 7.6°C | 110 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.8°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 18.8°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 21.9°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 123 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.4°C | 99 mm | 4 cm |
| December | 4°C | −6°C | −1.1°C | 116 mm | 18 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00190998; 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 Buffumville Lake?
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 (10).
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 USC00190998.
When is the last frost at Buffumville Lake?
In Buffumville Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 28 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 11 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 28; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 162 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 185 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 19 in half of springs and before October 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Buffumville Lake in zone 6a in ZIP code 01537, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Massachusetts · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00190998; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Buffumville Lake?
In a normal year in Buffumville Lake, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 153 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 130 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
- 153a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 34high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 130a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 12a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1959) is 102°F, on June 25, 2025; the lowest is −28°F, on January 22, 1984.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 65.16 in; the snowiest season is 2014–15, with 90.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00190998; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00190998. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Buffumville Lake?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Buffumville Lake, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 1.8 |
| February | 70% | 2.7 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 71% | 5.7 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 77% | 4.3 |
| October | 68% | 2.8 |
| November | 70% | 2.0 |
| December | 66% | 1.5 |
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 Buffumville Lake record?
A normal year at Buffumville Lake brings 6,688 heating degree days, 24% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 544 cooling degree days, 40% 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 2,532 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,260 | 0 |
| February | 1,102 | 0 |
| March | 946 | 0 |
| April | 582 | 2 |
| May | 272 | 21 |
| June | 65 | 94 |
| July | 9 | 207 |
| August | 17 | 161 |
| September | 137 | 56 |
| October | 467 | 3 |
| November | 749 | 0 |
| December | 1,083 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,688 | 544 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00190998. 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 Buffumville Lake been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 50.5°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.0°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.0°F | +2.0°F | 58.12 | 24.7 |
| 2022 | 49.6°F | +1.6°F | 49.26 | 38.5 |
| 2023 | 50.8°F | +2.8°F | 61.93 | 16.2 |
| 2024 | 50.5°F | +2.5°F | 49.13 | – |
Over 41 complete years from 1961 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.9°F per century (+0.33°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00190998; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Buffumville Lake's climate compare?
Buffumville Lake is warmer than 5 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 48.0°F is warmer than 32%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Buffumville Lake 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 Buffumville Lake share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Oxford, MA13,503 people · 2 mi E
- Quinebaug, CT1,163 people · 7 mi S
- North Grosvenor Dale, CT1,097 people · 9 mi S
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 Buffumville Lake's climate
What is the coldest month at Buffumville Lake?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow at Buffumville Lake?
Yes: 47 inches in a normal year, falling on 15 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (14.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Buffumville Lake?
October, with 4.84 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.21 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Buffumville Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Buffumville Lake in zone 6a in ZIP code 01537, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Buffumville Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Southbridge, MA9 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Worcester, MA11 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- East Brimfield Lake, MA11 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- West Thompson Lake, CT12 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made