Fitchburg, Massachusetts climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fitchburg's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 43.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.4°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,102 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFitchburg Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00004780
- Location42.55°N 71.76°W
- Elevation348 ft (106 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population42,145
On October 23, the normal high in Fitchburg is 59°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fitchburg.
- Jan 34° 16°
- Feb 37° 17°
- Mar 45° 25°
- Apr 58° 35°
- May 70° 46°
- Jun 78° 56°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 82° 60°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 62° 40°
- Nov 50° 30°
- Dec 40° 22°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Fitchburg each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.48 in), the least in January (2.65 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 16°F | 24.9°F | 2.65 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 37°F | 17°F | 27.1°F | 2.82 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 25°F | 35.3°F | 3.82 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 35°F | 46.9°F | 3.78 | 12 | <1 | 9 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 46°F | 57.8°F | 3.60 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 56°F | 67.0°F | 4.11 | 13 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 62°F | 72.4°F | 3.52 | 11 | 7 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 60°F | 70.7°F | 3.36 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 51°F | 62.8°F | 3.98 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 40°F | 50.7°F | 4.48 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 30°F | 40.2°F | 3.58 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 40°F | 22°F | 30.8°F | 3.67 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 38°F | 48.9°F | 43.37 | 138 | 15 | 137 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −9°C | −3.9°C | 67 mm |
| February | 3°C | −8°C | −2.7°C | 72 mm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.8°C | 97 mm |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.3°C | 96 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.3°C | 91 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 104 mm |
| July | 29°C | 16°C | 22.4°C | 89 mm |
| August | 28°C | 15°C | 21.5°C | 85 mm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 101 mm |
| October | 17°C | 4°C | 10.4°C | 114 mm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.6°C | 91 mm |
| December | 4°C | −6°C | −0.7°C | 93 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Ashburnham (9 miles away), gets 75 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004780; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Fitchburg?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USW00004780.
When is the last frost in Fitchburg?
In Fitchburg, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 29 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before October 1 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
- April 291 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 164 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 188 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fitchburg in zone 6a in ZIP code 01420. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Fitchburg's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (22 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 USW00004780; 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 in Fitchburg?
In a normal year in Fitchburg, 15 days a year reach 90°F, 137 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 138 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 137a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 30high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 138a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1997) is 103°F, on July 22, 2011; the lowest is −15°F, on February 24, 2015.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2023, with 60.84 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00004780; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00004780. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Fitchburg?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fitchburg, 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 much heating and cooling does Fitchburg need?
A normal year in Fitchburg brings 6,483 heating degree days, 21% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 641 cooling degree days, 29% 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 2,701 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,243 | 0 |
| February | 1,060 | 0 |
| March | 921 | 1 |
| April | 548 | 5 |
| May | 251 | 28 |
| June | 58 | 117 |
| July | 6 | 237 |
| August | 14 | 189 |
| September | 127 | 61 |
| October | 449 | 4 |
| November | 746 | 0 |
| December | 1,060 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,483 | 641 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004780. 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.
Has Fitchburg been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 49.2°F, 0.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.9°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.3°F | +2.4°F | 42.40 |
| 2022 | 50.8°F | +1.9°F | 39.61 |
| 2023 | 52.2°F | +3.3°F | 60.84 |
| 2024 | 52.0°F | +3.1°F | 38.99 |
| 2025 | 49.2°F | +0.3°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00004780. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Fitchburg's climate compare?
Fitchburg is warmer than 12 of the other 34 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 5. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.9°F is warmer than 36%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fitchburg is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 Fitchburg share this climate record?
5 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.
- Leominster, MA44,209 people · 2 mi S
- Clinton, MA15,740 people · 10 mi S
- Lunenburg, MA12,007 people · 3 mi NE
- South Lancaster, MA1,991 people · 9 mi S
- Shirley, MA7,042 people · 5 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Fitchburg's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Fitchburg. This page uses Fitchburg Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitchburg Cooperative USC00192807 | 1 mi NE | 665 ft | 47.5°F | 15°F | 81°F | 49.6 | – | May 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Fitchburg's climate
What is the coldest month in Fitchburg?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Fitchburg?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Fitchburg's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Ashburnham (9 miles away), records 75 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Fitchburg?
October, with 4.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 2.65 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fitchburg in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fitchburg in zone 6a in ZIP code 01420. By the same method at Fitchburg's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Fitchburg?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 29; 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
- Fitchburg in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ashburnham, MA9 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Ashburnham N, MA12 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Greenville, NH16 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Barre, MA16 miles from this station, 47.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made