Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Worcester’s winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 73 inches of snow in Worcester Rgnl Airport
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 73 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Worcester at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Worcester’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Worcester’s place in Massachusetts beside it.
What a year in Worcester feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from Worcester Rgnl Airport, Worcester’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 3 miles from the city’s center point, 430 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Worcester’s center in zone 6a: 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 73 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Worcester Rgnl Airport, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Worcester
93% 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 Worcester Rgnl Airport.
Living with Worcester’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 71 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Worcester from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Worcester and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Worcester in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Worcester’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA | 16° | 82° | 49" | 73" |
| Johnstown, PA | 19° | 83° | 47" | 74" |
| Elkins, WV | 21° | 82° | 50" | 69" |
| Schroeppel, NY | 15° | 81° | 44" | 79" |
| Cortland, OH | 18° | 83° | 43" | 68" |
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 Worcester averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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. In a city of 214,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Worcester compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Worcester’s place among Massachusetts’.
Worcester weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Worcester’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Worcester Rgnl Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 16° | 3.7" | 18.2" | 12 | 16° – 32° |
| February | 37° | 18° | 3.3" | 21.2" | 11 | 14° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 25° | 4.3" | 13.7" | 12 | 29° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 35° | 4.4" | 1.9" | 13 | 42° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 63° – 69° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 59° – 66° |
| October | 61° | 40° | 5.0" | 1.1" | 12 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 4.0" | 1.9" | 11 | 36° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 23° | 4.4" | 14.9" | 12 | 24° – 42° |
| Year | 59° | 38° | 49.2" | 72.9" | 138 |
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 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Worcester’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 Worcester’s center.
- Snow: Worcester Rgnl Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Worcester Rgnl Airport, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 430 ft higher; the city’s official station.
- 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 Worcester’s climate
What is the weather like in Worcester?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 73 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Worcester in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 130 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Worcester get?
About 73 inches in a normal winter at Worcester Rgnl Airport, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Worcester?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Worcester Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Worcester?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 181 frost-free days, at Worcester Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Worcester in?
Zone 6a 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 Worcester?
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 Worcester getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Worcester.
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.