Norton W, Massachusetts climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Norton W's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 52.3 inches of precipitation and 50 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.7°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,329 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorton W
- Station IDUSC00195984
- Location41.99°N 71.17°W
- Elevation95 ft (29 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Norton W is 59°F and the normal low 39°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 Norton W.
- Jan 37° 18°
- Feb 39° 19°
- Mar 46° 27°
- Apr 58° 35°
- May 69° 46°
- Jun 77° 55°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 73° 52°
- Oct 61° 41°
- Nov 51° 32°
- Dec 42° 24°
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 Norton W each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in March (5.35 in), the least in July (3.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 18°F | 27.4°F | 4.41 | 14.3 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 39°F | 19°F | 29.1°F | 3.79 | 12.6 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 27°F | 36.4°F | 5.35 | 10.1 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 35°F | 46.7°F | 4.72 | 1.9 | 11 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 46°F | 57.2°F | 3.62 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 55°F | 66.2°F | 4.33 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 62°F | 72.1°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 60°F | 70.5°F | 3.81 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 73°F | 52°F | 62.6°F | 4.11 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 41°F | 51.1°F | 5.06 | 0.2 | 11 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 32°F | 41.5°F | 4.46 | 1.2 | 10 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 42°F | 24°F | 32.9°F | 5.20 | 9.2 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 39°F | 49.5°F | 52.34 | 49.5 | 124 | 12 | 147 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −8°C | −2.6°C | 112 mm | 36 cm |
| February | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C | 96 mm | 32 cm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 136 mm | 26 cm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 8.2°C | 120 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 14.0°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 19.0°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.4°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 17.0°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 5°C | 10.6°C | 129 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.3°C | 113 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 5°C | −4°C | 0.5°C | 132 mm | 23 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00195984; 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 Norton W?
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 (9).
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 USC00195984.
When is the last frost at Norton W?
In Norton W, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 27 in half of years and after May 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 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 271 year in 10 after May 10; 9 in 10 after April 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 30
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 168 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 194 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 16 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Norton W in zone 6b in ZIP code 02766, 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 USC00195984; 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 Norton W?
In a normal year in Norton W, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 147 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 124 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 147a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 23high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 124a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 12a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00195984.
How sunny is it at Norton W?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Norton W, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (67%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 1.9 |
| February | 71% | 2.7 |
| March | 71% | 3.8 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 76% | 6.1 |
| July | 81% | 6.2 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.0 |
| November | 71% | 2.1 |
| December | 67% | 1.6 |
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 Norton W record?
A normal year at Norton W brings 6,212 heating degree days, 16% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 585 cooling degree days, 35% 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 2,626 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,166 | 0 |
| February | 1,004 | 0 |
| March | 888 | 0 |
| April | 552 | 3 |
| May | 260 | 18 |
| June | 61 | 97 |
| July | 7 | 226 |
| August | 13 | 182 |
| September | 128 | 56 |
| October | 436 | 5 |
| November | 704 | 0 |
| December | 995 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,212 | 585 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00195984. 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 Norton W been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 49.4°F, 0.1°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 49.5°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.1°F | +1.6°F | 57.25 | 21.6 |
| 2022 | 50.7°F | +1.2°F | 47.91 | 49.1 |
| 2023 | 51.6°F | +2.1°F | 60.21 | 9.2 |
| 2024 | 51.1°F | +1.6°F | 57.42 | 18.3 |
| 2025 | 49.4°F | −0.1°F | 45.34 | 19.1 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00195984. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Norton W's climate compare?
Norton W is warmer than 16 of the 35 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 33. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.5°F is warmer than 38%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Norton W 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 Norton W share this climate record?
4 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.
- Central Falls, RI23,034 people · 14 mi SW
- Valley Falls, RI12,370 people · 12 mi SW
- Mansfield Center, MA7,232 people · 3 mi NW
- Norton Center, MA2,526 people · 2 mi SW
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 Norton W's climate
What is the coldest month at Norton W?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow at Norton W?
Yes: 50 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (14.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Norton W?
March, with 5.35 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 3.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Norton W in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Norton W in zone 6b in ZIP code 02766, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Norton W?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 27; in one year in ten it comes after May 10. Waiting until May 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- NWS Boston/Norton, MA3 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Brockton, MA9 miles from this station, 51.4°F a year
- Taunton, MA11 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Bridgewater, MA11 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made