Cape May, NJ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Cape May's primary NOAA station, CAPE MAY 2 NW.
The climate verdict for Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 56°F. It scores 78/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 72% of them.
- 56°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 78/100
- comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
- 43.8"
- annual precipitation · 15" snow
- 222 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Cape May: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00281351 · Cape May, NJ 56°F mean · 43.8" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,391
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Dennard
- PRCP-MID 43.8"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-TOP 78/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,332 HDD
- STN-1 USC00281351
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Dennard, AR (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NJ station list.
- Cape May (this station) 56°F
- Cold Charleston Yeag…, WV 56°F
- Hot Monticello, KY 56°F
- Near Dennard, AR 56°F
- Near Crozier, VA 56°F
Climate Living Index · Cape May
Cape May: 71/100 · grade B
Cape May publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Cape May, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 73 calendar days | 84/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 222 days/year | 78/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 43.8 in · 8.8 from 35 in | 69/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 56.2°F · 11.3° from 67.5°F | 64/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 14.8 inches/year | 56/100 · C |
Cape May · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Cape May is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 35.9°F and warmest-month mean 76.9°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 76.9°F
- Coldest month
- 35.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Cape May sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Cape May's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 64th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 66th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 40th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Cape May compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Cape May's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
78 Top 28% score exceeds 72% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Cape May's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 109 complete annual observations from 1878 to 2024, CAPE MAY 2 NW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.14°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Cape May primary station fitted change +0.14 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F (6°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 3.2" | 4.5" | 20.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 45°F (7°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 3.0" | 5.7" | 17.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 52°F (11°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 4.1" | 2.5" | 10.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 3.3" | 0.1" | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.4 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.3 |
| August | 84°F (29°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| September | 79°F (26°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 57°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 5.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 48°F (9°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 4.0" | 2.0" | 16.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 86°F around July 17, short of 90°F on every date, while 73 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 28°F near January 24.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 2, then returns to freezing around December 21, covering 73 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is April 1, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 29 at 28%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 124 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 24 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 18°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Cape May.
Where Cape May Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 18°F.
Cape May earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 4.5"
10.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.7"
10.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.5"
11.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.3 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
10.0 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.0"
11.2 days with precipitation
Cape May spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 26% of the annual total and December through February 23%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Cape May has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 41°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 4.2" and February 3.0". The three wettest months together take 28% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Cape May, it arrives in quantity
43.8" of precipitation falls across only about 124 wet days here, averaging 0.35 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 124 a year, 34% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.35 inches
- Most wet days
- March, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- August, about 9
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Cape May
Cape May averages 14.8 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 8 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 14.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 8 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 3% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 1
50% probability date
Growing Season
222 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,332
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,176
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NJ closest to Cape May on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (56°F here).
- Baltimore, MD 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Carrizozo, NM 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Galena, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Grayville, IL 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (43.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Emporium, PA 43.8" · 0.0" off
- Keysville, VA 43.9" · 0.0" off
- Newport, VT 43.8" · 0.0" off
- Brookville, IN 43.8" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Cape May
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Cape May's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,332 annual heating degree days against 1,176 for cooling. Its 41.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Cape May's frost-free season lasts about 222 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Cape May coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 36°F (2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Cape May typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Cape May snow peak
February
Cape May averages 14.8 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Cape May's climate
How much snow does Cape May get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Cape May? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Cape May's primary station: CAPE MAY 2 NW (USC00281351). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3410270). Match rule for Cape May: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Cape May comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.