Lawrence, Massachusetts climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lawrence's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 40.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.1°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,039 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLawrence Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00094723
- Location42.72°N 71.12°W
- Elevation149 ft (45 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population89,332
On October 24, the normal high in Lawrence is 59°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 35%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lawrence.
- Jan 35° 19°
- Feb 38° 21°
- Mar 45° 28°
- Apr 58° 38°
- May 69° 48°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 82° 62°
- Sep 74° 54°
- Oct 62° 43°
- Nov 51° 34°
- Dec 40° 25°
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 Lawrence each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.10 in), the least in February (2.44 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 19°F | 27.1°F | 2.86 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 38°F | 21°F | 29.1°F | 2.44 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 28°F | 36.7°F | 3.42 | 10 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 38°F | 47.6°F | 3.60 | 12 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 48°F | 58.0°F | 3.39 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 77°F | 57°F | 67.2°F | 3.99 | 12 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 63°F | 73.2°F | 3.48 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 62°F | 71.6°F | 3.04 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 54°F | 63.8°F | 3.75 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 43°F | 52.2°F | 4.10 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 34°F | 42.3°F | 3.52 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 40°F | 25°F | 32.7°F | 3.32 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 41°F | 50.1°F | 40.91 | 131 | 15 | 123 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −7°C | −2.7°C | 73 mm |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.6°C | 62 mm |
| March | 7°C | −2°C | 2.6°C | 87 mm |
| April | 14°C | 3°C | 8.7°C | 91 mm |
| May | 20°C | 9°C | 14.4°C | 86 mm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.6°C | 101 mm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.9°C | 88 mm |
| August | 28°C | 17°C | 22.0°C | 77 mm |
| September | 23°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 95 mm |
| October | 17°C | 6°C | 11.2°C | 104 mm |
| November | 10°C | 1°C | 5.7°C | 89 mm |
| December | 5°C | −4°C | 0.4°C | 84 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Haverhill (4 miles away), gets 58 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094723; 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 Lawrence?
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 USW00094723.
When is the last frost in Lawrence?
In Lawrence, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 6 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 211 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after April 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 6; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 182 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 208 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 7 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lawrence in zone 6b across its 3 ZIP code areas (6b in 01843, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Lawrence's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°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 USW00094723; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Lawrence ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Lawrence's 3 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Lawrence?
In a normal year in Lawrence, 15 days a year reach 90°F, 123 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 131 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
- 123a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 30high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 131a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1997) is 103°F, on July 22, 2011; the lowest is −12°F, on February 4, 2023.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2023, with 60.21 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094723; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094723. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Lawrence?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lawrence, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (66%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 385th (with 30 others) in sunshine.
| 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 Lawrence need?
A normal year in Lawrence brings 6,095 heating degree days, 13% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 710 cooling degree days, 22% 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 2,840 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,176 | 0 |
| February | 1,007 | 0 |
| March | 878 | 1 |
| April | 525 | 5 |
| May | 243 | 28 |
| June | 55 | 121 |
| July | 5 | 259 |
| August | 10 | 216 |
| September | 108 | 74 |
| October | 402 | 7 |
| November | 683 | 0 |
| December | 1,003 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,095 | 710 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094723. 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 Lawrence been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 50.0°F, 0.1°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 50.1°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.9°F | +1.8°F | – |
| 2022 | 52.0°F | +1.9°F | 35.27 |
| 2023 | 52.1°F | +2.0°F | 60.21 |
| 2024 | 52.0°F | +1.9°F | 39.64 |
| 2025 | 50.0°F | −0.1°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094723. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lawrence's climate compare?
Lawrence is warmer than 20 of the other 34 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 1. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.1°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lawrence 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 Lawrence share this climate record?
Andover 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.
- Andover, MA36,927 people · 4 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.
What do Lawrence's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Lawrence. This page uses Lawrence Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence station USC00194105 | in town | 50 ft | 50.9°F | 20°F | 83°F | 49.3 | – | April 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Lawrence's climate
What is the coldest month in Lawrence?
January, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Lawrence?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Lawrence's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Haverhill (4 miles away), records 58 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Lawrence?
October, with 4.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.44 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lawrence in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lawrence in zone 6b across its 3 ZIP code areas (6b in 01843, the largest). By the same method at Lawrence's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Lawrence?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Haverhill, MA4 miles from this station, 48.4°F a year
- Groveland, MA4 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Middleton, MA10 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Lowell, MA13 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made