Climate · Wendell

Wendell, MA climate

Wendell has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
81°
167th coolest of 541 Massachusetts towns
January low
14°
61st coldest of 541 Massachusetts towns
Rain + melted snow
49 in
189th wettest of 541 Massachusetts towns
Snow a winter
46 in
204th least snowy of 534 Massachusetts towns
A normal year

What a year in Wendell feels like

Winter

35° / 17°
Typical high / low · 12 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

56° / 34°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 4

Summer

79° / 57°
Typical high / low · 10 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

60° / 40°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 8
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Wendell weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January32°14°3.6" 12.8"1220 13° – 30°
February35°16°3.0" 12.4"1019 11° – 32°
March43°24°3.7" 8.8"1012 27° – 43°
April56°34°3.8" 1.4"111 41° – 50°
May68°45°3.8" 0130 51° – 62°
June76°53°4.7" 0120 61° – 68°
July81°59°4.3" 0120 65° – 74°
August80°58°4.7" 0100 65° – 73°
September72°50°4.6" 090 58° – 65°
October60°40°4.9" 0110 45° – 57°
November48°30°3.7" 1.6"102 34° – 44°
December37°20°4.4" 8.7"1112 22° – 39°
Year57°37°49.3"45.7"13066

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Wendell

Wendell gets 49 inches of rain and melted snow a year. October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 66 days of the year.

49 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 86% of U.S. towns
46 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 77% of U.S. towns
66 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 75% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.9"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
13"
Frost & the growing season

About 157 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first one by October 8. That leaves about 157 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 74% of U.S. towns.

161
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
11
nights below 0° in a normal year
10
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Wendell

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Wendell, 92% of that work is heating and 8% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

92%heating
6,654 heating degree daysMore heating than 68% of U.S. towns
599 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 69% of U.S. towns

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.

Around Wendell

Wendell and its neighbors

Wendell borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.8°. Orange has the coldest January nights (14°) and Montague the hottest July afternoons (84°). Wendell’s January low is 14° and its July high 81°.

Gill: January low 15°, July high 84°Northfield: January low 14°, July high 84°Deerfield: January low 15°, July high 85°Greenfield: January low 15°, July high 85°Sunderland: January low 15°, July high 84°Athol: January low 14°, July high 82°Warwick: January low 14°, July high 81°Royalston: January low 13°, July high 81°Petersham: January low 14°, July high 82°Pelham: January low 15°, July high 81°Belchertown: January low 16°, July high 83°Ware: January low 16°, July high 82°Shutesbury: January low 14°, July high 81°Erving: January low 14°, July high 82°Montague: January low 15°, July high 84°Orange: January low 14°, July high 83°New Salem: January low 14°, July high 83°Wendell: January low 14°, July high 81° WendellErvingMontagueOrangeNew Salem
ColderMilder13° to 16°
Wendell13.9°
Orange14.0° +0.1°
Erving14.2° +0.3°
New Salem14.4° +0.5°
Montague14.7° +0.8°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Wendell compares

Summer heat81° July high
Cooler than 81% of U.S. towns167th coolest of 541 Massachusetts towns
Winter cold14° January low
Colder than 73% of U.S. towns61st coldest of 541 Massachusetts towns
Precipitation49" a year
Wetter than 86% of U.S. towns189th wettest of 541 Massachusetts towns
Snow46" a winter
Snowier than 77% of U.S. towns204th least snowy of 534 Massachusetts towns
Growing season157 frost-free days
Shorter than 74% of U.S. towns99th shortest of 539 Massachusetts towns
Massachusetts climate rankingsSnowiest, mildest, wettest and more in MA →

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+2.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Wendell averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.8°). The shift is larger than in 93% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+3.2° now 26°, was 22°
🌷 Spring+1.3° now 45°, was 44°
☀️ Summer+1.7° now 68°, was 66°
🍂 Fall+1.7° now 50°, was 48°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Wendell’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

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 11° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Wendell’s climate

What is the coldest month in Wendell?

January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 14°.

What is the hottest month in Wendell?

July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 10 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Wendell get?

About 46 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Wendell?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 8, and the last spring frost by May 4.

What is the rainiest month in Wendell?

October, with 4.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 49 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Wendell itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Sunderland, MA (11 mi, snow) and Orange Municipal Airport, MA (6 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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Wendell, MAFranklin CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Wendell is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01