Worcester climate
Worcester (Massachusetts, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C48 °F, and about 1,183 mm47 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Worcester climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 031 | −915 | −523 | 752.9 | 30 |
| Feb | 134 | −916 | −425 | 823.2 | 27 |
| Mar | 642 | −424 | 133 | 983.9 | 26 |
| Apr | 1356 | 235 | 745 | 1003.9 | 12 |
| May | 2067 | 846 | 1457 | 923.6 | 1 |
| Jun | 2476 | 1356 | 1966 | 1154.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 2883 | 1762 | 2272 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1661 | 2271 | 983.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1253 | 1864 | 983.9 | 0 |
| Oct | 1661 | 642 | 1151 | 1254.9 | 4 |
| Nov | 948 | 032 | 440 | 913.6 | 17 |
| Dec | 337 | −523 | −130 | 1104.3 | 27 |
| Year | 2883 | −915 | 948 | 1,18347 | 144 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90% | 62% | 1.8 | 9:25 |
| Feb | 89% | 61% | 2.7 | 10:30 |
| Mar | 83% | 61% | 3.7 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 78% | 61% | 4.7 | 13:19 |
| May | 77% | 64% | 5.3 | 14:34 |
| Jun | 78% | 62% | 5.7 | 15:15 |
| Jul | 75% | 55% | 6.0 | 14:58 |
| Aug | 73% | 53% | 5.3 | 13:53 |
| Sep | 74% | 51% | 4.3 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 79% | 59% | 2.8 | 10:59 |
| Nov | 82% | 60% | 2.0 | 9:43 |
| Dec | 87% | 63% | 1.5 | 9:06 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Worcester is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C31 °F and lows −9 °C15 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.4 °C49.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,183 mm47 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (125 mm4.9 in), the driest is January (75 mm2.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 73% in August to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 0 km/h (0 mph) in May to 2 km/h (1 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Worcester
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C67 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 92 mm3.6 in to 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C31 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Worcester
- Winter (December–February) — highs 031 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −915 to −5 °C23 °F, about 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 642 to 20 °C67 °F, lows −424 to 8 °C46 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2476 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1356 to 17 °C62 °F, about 104 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 032 to 12 °C53 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Worcester compares
Compared with Boston, about 62 km to the east, Worcester is on average 0.8 °C1.5 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (1.8 °C3.2 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Worcester is the 209th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 74th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Windsor (Canada, Dfa), Kingston (Canada, Dfb) and Brantford (Canada, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Providence 58 km · 11 °C51 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
- Boston 62 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
- Springfield 67 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,201 mm47 in
- Manchester 86 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,181 mm46 in
- Hartford 92 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,201 mm47 in
- New Bedford 101 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,155 mm45 in
- Waterbury 130 km · 10 °C51 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
- New Haven 141 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,208 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Worcester?
July is the warmest month in Worcester, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Worcester?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (31 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (15 °F).
When does it rain the most in Worcester?
October is the wettest month with about 125 mm (4.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 75 mm (2.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Worcester?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 205 m, while Worcester lies at about 147 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.