Photo: Elkman at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Oak Bluffs has cooler summers than 93% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 25°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 55°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 71% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 17; autumn frost returns near November 3.
A year in Oak Bluffs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oak Bluffs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oak Bluffs’ place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Oak Bluffs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 199 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by November 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Edgartown, MA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oak Bluffs’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Edgartown, MA, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; March is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oak Bluffs
89% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Edgartown, MA.
Living with Oak Bluffs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
199 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 22 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oak Bluffs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oak Bluffs and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Oak Bluffs in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Oak Bluffs’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Bluffs, MA | 25° | 80° | 47" | 25" |
| Galax, VA | 25° | 82° | 48" | 17" |
| Princeton, WV | 23° | 82° | 41" | 24" |
| Babylon, NY | 26° | 83° | 45" | 32" |
| Shamokin, PA | 19° | 82° | 46" | 34" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Oak Bluffs averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 91% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Oak Bluffs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oak Bluffs’ place among Massachusetts’.
Oak Bluffs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oak Bluffs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Edgartown, MA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 25° | 3.9" | 8.8" | 12 | 6 | 23° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 26° | 3.5" | 8.1" | 10 | 7 | 23° – 39° |
| March | 46° | 31° | 4.8" | 4.7" | 11 | 3 | 33° – 45° |
| April | 55° | 39° | 4.2" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| May | 64° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| June | 73° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| July | 80° | 64° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 47° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| December | 45° | 30° | 4.8" | 3.4" | 12 | 3 | 31° – 47° |
| Year | 59° | 44° | 47.1" | 25.3" | 128 | 20 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Oak Bluffs’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Oak Bluffs’ center.
- Snow: Edgartown, MA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Edgartown, MA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Oak Bluffs’ climate
What is the weather like in Oak Bluffs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oak Bluffs in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 95 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Oak Bluffs get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Edgartown, MA, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 20 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oak Bluffs?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 64°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Edgartown, MA).
When is the first and last frost in Oak Bluffs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 199 frost-free days, at Edgartown, MA.
What growing zone is Oak Bluffs in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oak Bluffs?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Oak Bluffs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oak Bluffs.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.