Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY 3.0Nights turn raw in Stow each January, colder than in 79% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 70% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Stow at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stow’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stow’s place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Stow feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Maynard 2, MA, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stow’s center in zone 6b: 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 59 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bedford, MA, falls mostly in January. 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 142 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stow
90% 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 Maynard 2, MA.
Living with Stow’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 2 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September. 72 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stow from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stow and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Stow in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Stow’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stow, MA | 16° | 84° | 47" | 59" |
| Shawangunk, NY | 17° | 84° | 48" | 59" |
| Franklin, PA | 19° | 83° | 45" | 54" |
| Cortland, OH | 18° | 83° | 43" | 68" |
| Newton, NJ | 18° | 83° | 47" | 39" |
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 Stow averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Stow compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stow’s place among Massachusetts’.
Stow weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stow’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bedford, MA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 16° | 3.5" | 16.1" | 13 | 20 | 16° – 33° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 3.2" | 12.5" | 11 | 19 | 14° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 4.1" | 12.9" | 13 | 13 | 29° – 45° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 4.1" | 2.3" | 13 | 1 | 44° – 52° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| July | 84° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 63° | 40° | 4.7" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 31° | 3.8" | 1.9" | 13 | 2 | 36° – 46° |
| December | 41° | 23° | 4.4" | 13.2" | 13 | 13 | 25° – 42° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 47.0" | 59.0" | 142 | 68 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Stow’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 Stow’s center.
- Snow: Bedford, MA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Maynard 2, MA, 4 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 Stow’s climate
What is the weather like in Stow?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stow in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Stow get?
About 59 inches in a normal winter at Bedford, MA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 68 days a year.
How hot does it get in Stow?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 61°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Maynard 2, MA).
When is the first and last frost in Stow?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 156 frost-free days, at Maynard 2, MA.
What growing zone is Stow in?
Zone 6b 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 Stow?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stow getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stow.
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.