Massachusetts Climate
Top 5 Cities: Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge, and Lowell
This month in numbers
Massachusetts experienced a significantly warmer March, with the average temperature reaching 3.33°C, an anomaly of +1.9°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 14th warmest March in 77 years of records. Maximum temperatures also saw a notable increase, ranking 11th warmest at 9.22°C, an anomaly of +2.4°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
While March brought warmer temperatures, the January–March 2026 period for Massachusetts saw an average temperature of -2.11°C, an anomaly of +0.3°C, ranking 43rd warmest. This places Massachusetts as the 4th coolest region globally for the 3-month anomaly, at +0.27°C. Precipitation for the January–March period was notably low, ranking 70th of 77 years on record with 71.29 mm, an anomaly of -19.3 mm. This contrasts with March's precipitation of 108.46 mm, which was +14.1 mm above average and ranked 29th wettest.
What’s driving change?
The warmer March temperatures in Massachusetts, despite a cooler start to the year, can be attributed in part to , as the region transitions from winter to spring. However, the persistent drought conditions across much of the state, with two active drought events representing 100% of the annual total, indicate a longer-term precipitation deficit. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs declared worsened drought conditions in early March, with several regions in Level 2 or 3 drought, despite a significant blizzard in late February. This highlights that heavy snowfall does not always alleviate long-term drought, as much of the water remained locked in snow or the ground was frozen, preventing groundwater recharge. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a strong forecast for El Niño developing by May-July 2026, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Northeast ENSO tracker. Additionally, a flood event in April, representing 100% of the annual total, further underscores the erratic weather patterns experienced in the region Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase suggests a likelihood of warmer and drier conditions for Massachusetts in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Massachusetts
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Massachusetts changing?
Massachusetts is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Massachusetts come from?
Climate data for Massachusetts comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Massachusetts climate data cover?
The Massachusetts climate profile covers Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge and surrounding areas. Massachusetts climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Massachusetts climate update refreshed?
The Massachusetts climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.