Woonsocket, RI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Woonsocket's primary NOAA station, WOONSOCKET.
The climate verdict for Woonsocket
Water is the standout signal in Woonsocket, Rhode Island: 51.9 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 51°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 51.9"
- annual precipitation · 42" snow
- 180 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Woonsocket: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00379423 · Woonsocket, RI 51°F mean · 51.9" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,087
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ New Castle
- PRCP-WET 51.9"
- SWING-WIDE 45°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,800 HDD
- STN-1 USC00379423
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: New Castle, PA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every RI station list.
- Woonsocket (this station) 51°F
- Hot Dennison Wtr Wks, OH 51°F
- Near New Castle, PA 51°F
- Near Selinsgrove Pen…, PA 51°F
- Near Torrey, UT 51°F
Climate Living Index · Woonsocket
Woonsocket: 47/100 · grade D
Woonsocket publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Woonsocket, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 129 calendar days | 59/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 180 days/year | 50/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.1°F · 16.4° from 67.5°F | 45/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 51.9 in · 16.9 from 35 in | 40/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 41.5 inches/year | 26/100 · F |
Woonsocket · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Woonsocket is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 28.3°F and warmest-month mean 73.6°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 73.6°F
- Coldest month
- 28.3°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Woonsocket sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Woonsocket's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 45th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 15% wettest
- Woonsocket's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 60th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Woonsocket compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Woonsocket's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 4.4" | 12.3" | 28.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 3.7" | 10.7" | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 47°F (8°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 4.9" | 7.6" | 22.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 60°F (15°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 4.7" | 1.9" | 7.7 | 0.2 |
| May | 70°F (21°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| July | 84°F (29°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 6.0 |
| August | 83°F (28°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| September | 75°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 5.1" | 0.1" | 3.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 4.2" | 1.0" | 15.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 5.3" | 7.9" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 84°F around July 16, short of 90°F on every date, while 129 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 18°F near January 18.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 28, then returns to freezing around November 21, covering 129 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 9, when 42% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 31 at 32%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 133 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Woonsocket.
Where Woonsocket Stands Nationally
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 52 inches.
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Woonsocket earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 12.3"
11.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.7"
10.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.6"
10.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.9"
11.9 days with precipitation
12.8 days with precipitation
11.4 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
10.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.9"
11.2 days with precipitation
Woonsocket spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 23% of the annual total and December through February 26%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Woonsocket has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 45.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: December averages 5.3" and July 3.6". The three wettest months together take 29% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Woonsocket, it arrives in quantity
51.9" of precipitation falls across only about 133 wet days here, averaging 0.39 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 133 a year, 36% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- February, about 10
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Woonsocket
Woonsocket averages 41.5 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 16 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 41.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 16 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 8% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 19
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
180 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,800
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
760
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside RI closest to Woonsocket on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (51°F here).
- Alpine, UT 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Baiting Hollow, NY 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Burr Oak, KS 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Cambridge, NE 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (51.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Rock Hill, NY 51.9" · 0.0" off
- Jackson, KY 51.9" · 0.0" off
- Lehighton, PA 51.9" · 0.0" off
- Live Oak, FL 51.9" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Woonsocket
heating led · wet · mid swing
Woonsocket's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,800 annual heating degree days against 760 for cooling. Its 45.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Woonsocket's frost-free season lasts about 180 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Woonsocket coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Woonsocket typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Woonsocket snow peak
January
Woonsocket averages 41.5 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Woonsocket's climate
How much snow does Woonsocket get? ▼
How cold does Woonsocket get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Woonsocket? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Woonsocket's primary station: WOONSOCKET (USC00379423). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 4480780). Match rule for Woonsocket: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Woonsocket comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.