Climate of Massachusetts

The climate of Massachusetts is mainly a humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers, cold, snowy winters and abundant precipitation.^[1] Massachusetts is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Most of its population of 7 million live in the Boston metropolitan area. The eastern half of this relatively small state is mostly urban and suburban. Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New England states and ranks third in the nation by population density and fourth by GDP per capita. Massachusetts receives about 43 inches or 1,090 millimetres of rain annually, fairly evenly distributed throughout the years, slightly wetter during the winter.^[2] Summers are warm with average high temperatures in July above 80 °F or 26.7 °C and overnight lows above 60 °F or 15.6 °C common throughout the state.^[3] Winters are cold, but generally less extreme on the coast with high temperatures in the winter averaging above freezing even in January, although areas further inland are much colder. The state does have extreme temperatures from time to time with 100 °F or 37.8 °C in the summer and temperatures below 0 °F or −17.8 °C in the winter not being unusual.^[2]

The state has its share of extreme weather, prone to nor'easters and to severe winter storms.^[4] Summers can bring thunderstorms, averaging around 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year. Massachusetts averages one tornado per year.^[5] Massachusetts, like the entire United States eastern seaboard, is vulnerable to hurricanes. Because its location is farther east in the Atlantic Ocean than states farther south, Massachusetts has suffered a direct hit from a major hurricane three times since 1851, the same number of direct hits suffered by the southern Atlantic state of Georgia.^[6] More often hurricanes weakened to tropical storm strength pass near Massachusetts.^[6]

With the exception of southern Connecticut, Cape Cod and the offshore islands, most of New England has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Owing to thick deciduous forests, fall in New England brings bright and colorful foliage attracting tourists.^[7] Springs are generally wet and cloudy. Average rainfall generally ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 millimetres or 40 to 60 inches a year. Snowfall can often exceed 100 inches or 2.5 metres annually in the higher elevations.^[8]