Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0More precipitation falls on Plympton than on 86% of U.S. towns: 51 inches a year
Sunny July days climb to about 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 71% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 2.0° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 16.
A year in Plympton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Plympton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Plympton’s place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Plympton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Plymouth Muni Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Plympton’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Plymouth-kingston, MA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; March is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Plympton
91% 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 Plymouth Muni Airport.
Living with Plympton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 40 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Plympton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Plympton and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Plympton in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Plympton’s, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plympton, MA | 21° | 83° | 51" | 38" |
| Buckhannon, WV | 23° | 83° | 50" | 39" |
| Stony Point, NY | 19° | 83° | 50" | 36" |
| Succasunna, NJ | 19° | 83° | 51" | 30" |
| East Stroudsburg, PA | 18° | 84° | 51" | 42" |
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 Plympton averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 90% 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 Plympton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Plympton’s place among Massachusetts’.
Plympton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Plympton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Plymouth-kingston, MA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 21° | 4.3" | 10.1" | 12 | 9 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 41° | 22° | 3.7" | 11.5" | 11 | 8 | 19° – 38° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 5.3" | 8.5" | 13 | 5 | 32° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 37° | 4.6" | 1.0" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 56° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 63° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 74° | 54° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 43° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 4.5" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 4.9" | 6.7" | 12 | 5 | 29° – 45° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 50.9" | 37.9" | 140 | 27 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Plympton’s 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 Plympton’s center.
- Snow: Plymouth-kingston, MA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Plymouth Muni Airport, 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 Plympton’s climate
What is the weather like in Plympton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Plympton in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Plympton get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Plymouth-kingston, MA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 27 days a year.
How hot does it get in Plympton?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 63°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Plymouth Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Plympton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 170 frost-free days, at Plymouth Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Plympton in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Plympton?
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 Plympton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Plympton.
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.