North Adams, MA climate
North Adams has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade6° warmer than normal today. The forecast high is 71°, and a typical Oct 1 in North Adams peaks around 65°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020
What a year in North Adams feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
North Adams weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 13° | 2.9" | 19.3" | 15 | 26 | 12° – 30° |
| February | 34° | 14° | 2.4" | 18.2" | 12 | 26 | 10° – 30° |
| March | 43° | 22° | 3.1" | 13.8" | 14 | 20 | 25° – 43° |
| April | 56° | 33° | 3.3" | 4.0" | 14 | 3 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 69° | 44° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 15 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 77° | 52° | 4.5" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 57° | 4.3" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 55° | 4.3" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 65° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 4.4" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 4.3" | 0.4" | 14 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 48° | 29° | 3.3" | 4.6" | 13 | 4 | 33° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 20° | 3.5" | 16.7" | 14 | 20 | 21° – 40° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 44.2" | 77.1" | 158 | 98 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in North Adams
North Adams gets 44 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 158 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 98 days of the year.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first one by October 4. That leaves about 147 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 83% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in North Adams
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In North Adams, 95% of that work is heating and 5% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
North Adams and its neighbors
North Adams borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Clarksburg has the coldest January nights (13°) and Williamstown the hottest July afternoons (81°). North Adams’s January low is 13° and its July high 81°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How North Adams compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in North Adams averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°). The shift is larger than in 78% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at North Adams’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 10° to 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about North Adams’s climate
What is the coldest month in North Adams?
January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 13°.
What is the hottest month in North Adams?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 57°. About 4 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does North Adams get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in North Adams?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 4, and the last spring frost by May 10.
What is the rainiest month in North Adams?
June, with 4.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 44 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for North Adams itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Worthington, MA (22 mi, snow) and North Adams Harriman Airport, MA (3 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.