Orange, Massachusetts climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Orange's normal year runs from 14°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 42.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.1°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,071 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOrange Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00054756
- Location42.57°N 72.29°W
- Elevation555 ft (169 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (town)7,583
- Census place3,793
On October 22, the normal high in Orange is 59°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 40%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Orange.
- Jan 33° 14°
- Feb 37° 15°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 59° 34°
- May 70° 46°
- Jun 79° 55°
- Jul 84° 60°
- Aug 82° 59°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 62° 39°
- Nov 50° 30°
- Dec 39° 21°
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 Orange each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in September (4.29 in), the least in February (2.34 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 14°F | 23.7°F | 2.71 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 37°F | 15°F | 26.0°F | 2.34 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.7°F | 3.38 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 34°F | 46.4°F | 3.44 | 13 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 46°F | 57.9°F | 3.24 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 79°F | 55°F | 66.7°F | 4.14 | 14 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 84°F | 60°F | 72.1°F | 3.76 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 59°F | 70.3°F | 3.87 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 51°F | 62.2°F | 4.29 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 39°F | 50.2°F | 4.22 | 13 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 30°F | 39.5°F | 3.37 | 11 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 21°F | 29.7°F | 3.40 | 12 | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 37°F | 48.3°F | 42.16 | 146 | 10 | 161 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −10°C | −4.6°C | 69 mm |
| February | 3°C | −9°C | −3.3°C | 59 mm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.5°C | 86 mm |
| April | 15°C | 1°C | 8.0°C | 87 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.4°C | 82 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 105 mm |
| July | 29°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 96 mm |
| August | 28°C | 15°C | 21.3°C | 98 mm |
| September | 23°C | 10°C | 16.8°C | 109 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 107 mm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.2°C | 86 mm |
| December | 4°C | −6°C | −1.3°C | 86 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Tully Lake (6 miles away), gets 52 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054756; 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 Orange?
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 (12).
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 USW00054756.
When is the last frost in Orange?
In Orange, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 27 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
- May 41 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 157 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Orange in zone 5b in ZIP code 01364. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Orange's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (21 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 USW00054756; 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 Orange?
In a normal year in Orange, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 161 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 146 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 161a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 37high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 146a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1996) is 100°F, on July 22, 2011; the lowest is −24°F, on January 24, 2011.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 61.51 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00054756; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00054756. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Orange?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Orange, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (77%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 1.8 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 68% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 71% | 5.7 |
| July | 77% | 6.0 |
| August | 77% | 5.3 |
| September | 76% | 4.3 |
| October | 67% | 2.7 |
| November | 68% | 1.9 |
| December | 62% | 1.4 |
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 Orange need?
A normal year in Orange brings 6,654 heating degree days, 24% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 599 cooling degree days, 34% 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 2,634 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,280 | 0 |
| February | 1,092 | 0 |
| March | 938 | 0 |
| April | 560 | 3 |
| May | 246 | 26 |
| June | 57 | 108 |
| July | 6 | 224 |
| August | 15 | 178 |
| September | 139 | 56 |
| October | 464 | 4 |
| November | 765 | 0 |
| December | 1,093 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,654 | 599 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054756. 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 Orange been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 47.6°F, 0.7°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 48.3°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49.7°F | +1.4°F | 45.58 |
| 2022 | 48.8°F | +0.5°F | 38.36 |
| 2023 | 50.1°F | +1.8°F | 48.47 |
| 2024 | 50.2°F | +1.9°F | 41.51 |
| 2025 | 47.6°F | −0.7°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00054756. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Orange's climate compare?
Orange is warmer than 9 of the other 34 places with their own NOAA record in Massachusetts, and wetter than 3. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.3°F is warmer than 33%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Orange 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 Orange share this climate record?
Petersham 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.
- Petersham, MA1,246 people · 8 mi SE
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 Orange's climate
What is the coldest month in Orange?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Orange?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Orange's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Tully Lake (6 miles away), records 52 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Orange?
September, with 4.29 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Orange in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Orange in zone 5b in ZIP code 01364. By the same method at Orange's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Orange?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Massachusetts climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tully Lake, MA6 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Birch Hill Dam, MA9 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Leverett #2, MA15 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Greenfield, MA16 miles from this station, 48.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made