NWS Boston/Norton, Massachusetts climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
NWS Boston/Norton's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 49.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.0°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,264 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNWS Boston/Norton
- Station IDUSC00198368
- Location41.96°N 71.14°W
- Elevation85 ft (26 m)
On October 22, the normal high in NWS Boston/Norton is 60°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 41%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for NWS Boston/Norton.
- Jan 36° 18°
- Feb 39° 20°
- Mar 46° 27°
- Apr 57° 37°
- May 68° 47°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 82° 61°
- Sep 74° 54°
- Oct 62° 42°
- Nov 52° 33°
- 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 NWS Boston/Norton 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 (5.15 in), the least in July (3.16 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 18°F | 27.3°F | 4.17 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 39°F | 20°F | 29.6°F | 3.60 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 27°F | 36.4°F | 5.15 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 37°F | 47.0°F | 4.40 | 14 | <1 | 9 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 47°F | 57.6°F | 3.32 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 57°F | 66.9°F | 4.52 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 83°F | 63°F | 72.9°F | 3.16 | 11 | 8 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 61°F | 71.4°F | 3.56 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 54°F | 63.8°F | 4.16 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 42°F | 52.1°F | 4.81 | 14 | <1 | 4 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 52°F | 33°F | 42.1°F | 4.27 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 42°F | 24°F | 33.2°F | 4.64 | 13 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 40°F | 50.0°F | 49.76 | 139 | 17 | 130 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −8°C | −2.6°C | 106 mm |
| February | 4°C | −7°C | −1.3°C | 91 mm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 131 mm |
| April | 14°C | 3°C | 8.3°C | 112 mm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 84 mm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.4°C | 115 mm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 80 mm |
| August | 28°C | 16°C | 21.9°C | 90 mm |
| September | 23°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 106 mm |
| October | 17°C | 5°C | 11.2°C | 122 mm |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.6°C | 108 mm |
| December | 5°C | −4°C | 0.7°C | 118 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Norton W (3 miles away), gets 50 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00198368; 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 NWS Boston/Norton?
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 USC00198368.
When is the last frost at NWS Boston/Norton?
In NWS Boston/Norton, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 in half of years and before October 3 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 231 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after April 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before October 3; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 177 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 202 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 9 in half of springs and before October 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts NWS Boston/Norton in zone 6b in ZIP code 02766, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (25 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 USC00198368; 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 at NWS Boston/Norton?
In a normal year in NWS Boston/Norton, 17 days a year reach 90°F, 130 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 139 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 130a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 139a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1994) is 103°F, on July 22, 2011; the lowest is −13°F, on February 5, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2005, with 65.24 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 112.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00198368; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00198368. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at NWS Boston/Norton?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at NWS Boston/Norton, 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 NWS Boston/Norton record?
A normal year at NWS Boston/Norton brings 6,094 heating degree days, 13% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 661 cooling degree days, 27% 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 2,774 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,168 | 0 |
| February | 993 | 0 |
| March | 887 | 1 |
| April | 542 | 2 |
| May | 250 | 19 |
| June | 53 | 110 |
| July | 5 | 248 |
| August | 7 | 204 |
| September | 110 | 74 |
| October | 405 | 4 |
| November | 687 | 0 |
| December | 987 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,094 | 661 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00198368. 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 NWS Boston/Norton been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 49.8°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 50.0°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.4°F | +1.4°F | 56.23 |
| 2022 | 51.1°F | +1.1°F | 50.15 |
| 2023 | 52.0°F | +2.0°F | 58.95 |
| 2024 | 51.4°F | +1.4°F | 55.28 |
| 2025 | 49.8°F | −0.2°F | 43.13 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00198368. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does NWS Boston/Norton's climate compare?
NWS Boston/Norton is warmer than 19 of the 35 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 28. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.0°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, NWS Boston/Norton 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 NWS Boston/Norton share this climate record?
2 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.
- Pawtucket, RIalso near: Woonsocket (10 mi, 51.1°F a year); Providence (11 mi, 52.1°F a year)76,996 people · 13 mi SW
- East Providence, RI47,961 people · 16 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 NWS Boston/Norton's climate
What is the coldest month at NWS Boston/Norton?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at NWS Boston/Norton?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Norton W (3 miles away), records 50 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at NWS Boston/Norton?
March, with 5.15 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 3.16 in.
What plant hardiness zone is NWS Boston/Norton in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts NWS Boston/Norton in zone 6b in ZIP code 02766, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −1°F (25 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at NWS Boston/Norton?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 23; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Norton W, MA3 miles from this station, 49.5°F a year
- Taunton, MA8 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Brockton, MA9 miles from this station, 51.4°F a year
- Bridgewater, MA9 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