Providence, Rhode Island climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Providence's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 47.5 inches of precipitation and 37 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.2°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,208 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRhode Island T.f. Green International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014765
- Location41.72°N 71.43°W
- Elevation60 ft (18 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population194,706
On October 14, the normal high in Providence is 64°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 33%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Providence.
- Jan 38° 22°
- Feb 41° 24°
- Mar 48° 30°
- Apr 59° 40°
- May 69° 49°
- Jun 78° 59°
- Jul 84° 65°
- Aug 82° 64°
- Sep 75° 57°
- Oct 64° 45°
- Nov 53° 36°
- Dec 43° 28°
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 Providence each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in March (4.90 in), the least in July (2.91 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. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 22°F | 30.2°F | 3.96 | 10.3 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 41°F | 24°F | 32.0°F | 3.44 | 10.5 | 10 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 48°F | 30°F | 38.9°F | 4.90 | 6.4 | 12 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 40°F | 49.3°F | 4.29 | 0.6 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 49°F | 59.1°F | 3.37 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 59°F | 68.2°F | 3.81 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 84°F | 65°F | 74.4°F | 2.91 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 64°F | 73.0°F | 3.59 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 75°F | 57°F | 65.6°F | 4.17 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 64°F | 45°F | 54.4°F | 4.18 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 36°F | 44.5°F | 4.27 | 1.0 | 10 | <1 | 11 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 43°F | 28°F | 35.5°F | 4.65 | 7.6 | 12 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 43°F | 52.1°F | 47.54 | 36.6 | 127 | 12 | 109 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −5°C | −1.0°C | 101 mm | 26 cm |
| February | 5°C | −5°C | 0.0°C | 87 mm | 27 cm |
| March | 9°C | −1°C | 3.8°C | 124 mm | 16 cm |
| April | 15°C | 4°C | 9.6°C | 109 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 21°C | 10°C | 15.1°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 15°C | 20.1°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 18°C | 23.6°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 18°C | 22.8°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 14°C | 18.7°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 106 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 108 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 6°C | −2°C | 1.9°C | 118 mm | 19 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014765; 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 Providence?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USW00014765.
When is the last frost in Providence?
In Providence, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 30 in half of years and before October 16 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 111 year in 10 after April 23; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 301 year in 10 before October 16; 9 in 10 before November 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 199 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 221 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Providence in zones 6b to 7a across its 8 ZIP code areas (7a in 02908, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Providence's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Rhode Island · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014765; 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 Providence ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Providence's 8 ZIP code areas run from zone 6b to 7a: 1 in 6b and 7 in 7a. 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 Providence?
In a normal year in Providence, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 109 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 127 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
- 109a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 20high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 127a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
The highest temperature in Providence's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1904) is 104°F, on August 2, 1975; the lowest is −17°F, on February 9, 1934.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 67.52 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 106.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014765; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record PVDthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Providence, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 62°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in January (18°F). March is the windiest month (10.3 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (42%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 60% | 48% | 9.5 mph | 38% | 34% |
| February | 22°F | 60% | 48% | 10.2 mph | 33% | 39% |
| March | 30°F | 59% | 45% | 10.3 mph | 35% | 40% |
| April | 40°F | 62% | 47% | 9.7 mph | 35% | 37% |
| May | 52°F | 69% | 54% | 9.0 mph | 33% | 37% |
| June | 61°F | 69% | 54% | 8.4 mph | 33% | 25% |
| July | 64°F | 71% | 55% | 8.0 mph | 31% | 25% |
| August | 60°F | 71% | 54% | 7.8 mph | 40% | 22% |
| September | 52°F | 74% | 57% | 8.0 mph | 42% | 28% |
| October | 39°F | 68% | 53% | 8.6 mph | 40% | 33% |
| November | 30°F | 67% | 54% | 8.7 mph | 39% | 35% |
| December | 22°F | 65% | 53% | 9.2 mph | 38% | 36% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014765. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Providence?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Providence, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (67%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 304th (with 25 others) in sunshine.
| 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 much heating and cooling does Providence need?
A normal year in Providence brings 5,478 heating degree days, 2% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 812 cooling degree days, 11% 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 3,090 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,079 | 0 |
| February | 924 | 0 |
| March | 808 | 0 |
| April | 475 | 3 |
| May | 212 | 28 |
| June | 39 | 136 |
| July | 2 | 293 |
| August | 3 | 252 |
| September | 71 | 91 |
| October | 336 | 9 |
| November | 615 | 0 |
| December | 914 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,478 | 812 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014765. 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 Providence been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 51.9°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 52.1°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.0°F | +1.9°F | 46.65 | 23.8 |
| 2022 | 53.5°F | +1.4°F | 45.83 | 44.3 |
| 2023 | 53.0°F | +0.9°F | 57.66 | 8.2 |
| 2024 | 53.1°F | +1.0°F | 62.25 | 21.0 |
| 2025 | 51.9°F | −0.2°F | 45.63 | 18.3 |
Over 187 complete years from 1832 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.6°F per century (+0.20°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014765; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Providence's climate compare?
Providence is warmer than 3 of the other 5 places with their own NOAA record in Rhode Island, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.1°F is warmer than 50%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Providence 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 Providence 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.
- Cranston, RIalso near: Coventry 2 (8 mi, 50.5°F a year); North Foster (1 mi E) (14 mi, 49.1°F a year)84,448 people · 4 mi NW
- Warwick, RIalso near: Coventry 2 (7 mi, 50.5°F a year); Tiverton (12 mi, 52.9°F a year)83,554 people · 1 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 Providence's climate
What is the coldest month in Providence?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Providence?
Yes: 37 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (10.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Providence?
March, with 4.90 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 2.91 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Providence in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Providence in zones 6b to 7a across its 8 ZIP code areas (7a in 02908, the largest). By the same method at Providence's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Providence?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 11; in one year in ten it comes after April 23. Waiting until April 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Providence in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Rhode Island climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Coventry 2, RI7 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Tiverton, RI13 miles from this station, 52.9°F a year
- Newport, RI15 miles from this station, 51.3°F a year
- Kingston, RI18 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