Photo: Bob Burkhardt · CC BY 3.0Shirley’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Shirley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shirley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shirley’s place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Shirley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fitchburg Muni Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shirley’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 53 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nashua 2 Nnw, NH, is heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shirley
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 Fitchburg Muni Airport.
Living with Shirley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 27 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shirley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shirley and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Shirley in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Shirley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley, MA | 15° | 84° | 47" | 53" |
| Crawford, NY | 17° | 83° | 46" | 44" |
| Franklin, PA | 19° | 83° | 45" | 54" |
| Newton, NJ | 18° | 83° | 47" | 39" |
| Ontario, OH | 17° | 82° | 42" | 49" |
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 Shirley averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 75% 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 Shirley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shirley’s place among Massachusetts’.
Shirley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shirley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nashua 2 Nnw, NH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 15° | 3.4" | 14.7" | 9 | 15° – 32° |
| February | 37° | 17° | 3.3" | 14.5" | 8 | 13° – 34° |
| March | 46° | 25° | 4.2" | 10.1" | 9 | 29° – 44° |
| April | 59° | 35° | 4.2" | 0.7" | 11 | 43° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 51° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 39° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 50° | 30° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 10 | 35° – 45° |
| December | 40° | 22° | 4.4" | 11.2" | 10 | 24° – 40° |
| Year | 60° | 38° | 47.4" | 52.9" | 120 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Shirley’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 Shirley’s center.
- Snow: Nashua 2 Nnw, NH.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fitchburg Muni Airport, 6 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 Shirley’s climate
What is the weather like in Shirley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shirley in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Shirley get?
About 53 inches in a normal winter at Nashua 2 Nnw, NH, heaviest from January through February, about 15 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Shirley?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Fitchburg Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Shirley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 164 frost-free days, at Fitchburg Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Shirley in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shirley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shirley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shirley.
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.