Massachusetts Climate
Top 5 Cities: Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge, and Lowell
This month in numbers
Massachusetts experienced its 10th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 8.94°C, which is 1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The global land temperature for April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C. Precipitation for Massachusetts in April was significantly below average, ranking as the 69th driest of 77 years on record, with 55.88 mm, a deficit of 44.3 mm compared to the baseline.
What changed
Over the past three months (February–April 2026), Massachusetts saw an average temperature of 2.52°C, 0.9°C above the 1961–1990 average, ranking as the 36th warmest such period on record. However, precipitation for this three-month period was also notably low, ranking 69th driest with 67.82 mm, a deficit of 25.9 mm. This places Massachusetts at 210th out of 234 regions globally for its three-month temperature anomaly, while nine of the top ten warmest regions globally were US states, indicating a broader warming trend across the country.
What’s driving change?
The warmer temperatures and significantly reduced precipitation in Massachusetts are contributing to ongoing drought conditions. As of May 22, 2026, a Level 3 – Critical Drought was declared for the Northeast Region of Massachusetts, including Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, following years of below-average rainfall and declining streamflow. Other regions of the state are experiencing Level 1 or Level 2 drought conditions. This lack of rainfall has also coincided with an unusual concentration of wildfire activity, with four wildfire events reported between May 14 and May 21, 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for Massachusetts over the past 12 months. This is considered unusually high compared to previous years. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but an El Niño phase is strongly forecast to develop from May–July 2026, with a 92% probability by June–August 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer-than-average winters to the Northeast USA, though its impact on precipitation is less clear. More information on extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker and on ENSO at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an evolving El Niño phase in the coming months suggests a likelihood of warmer conditions persisting, particularly into the next winter season.
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.