Boston weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · major city break · hot-summer continental climate
The best time to visit Boston is July — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 74/100), with August and September close behind. Boston averages about 2,157 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 28°C / 82°F and roughly 94 mm of rain in July.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,157
- Sunniest month
- July
- Peak score
- 74/100
- Rain / year
- 1,207 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈1.9 m
- Midday UV at peak
- 7 (high)
- Sea at warmest
- 20°C / 68°F
- Population
- 4.5M
- Elevation
- Sea level
When is the best time to visit Boston?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Boston is July, then August and September. The dullest month is January (0/100, 80 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Boston?
Boston gets a moderate 2,157 hours of sunshine a year. 74 Sunshine Score points separate July (74) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #338 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 1,207 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 1° / 34°F | -7° / 19°F | 80 mm | 1 | 4° / 39°F |
| February | 0 | 2° / 36°F | -6° / 21°F | 86 mm | 2 | 4° / 39°F |
| March | 0 | 6° / 43°F | -3° / 27°F | 110 mm | 3 | 5° / 41°F |
| April | 30 | 13° / 55°F | 3° / 37°F | 107 mm | 4 | 8° / 46°F |
| May | 68 | 19° / 66°F | 9° / 48°F | 95 mm | 6 | 13° / 55°F |
| June | 71 | 24° / 75°F | 14° / 57°F | 113 mm | 6 | 18° / 64°F |
| July | 74 | 28° / 82°F | 18° / 64°F | 94 mm | 7 | 19° / 66°F |
| August | 74 | 28° / 82°F | 17° / 63°F | 93 mm | 6 | 20° / 68°F |
| September | 74 | 24° / 75°F | 13° / 55°F | 92 mm | 5 | 19° / 66°F |
| October | 52 | 17° / 63°F | 7° / 45°F | 123 mm | 3 | 15° / 59°F |
| November | 12 | 10° / 50°F | 1° / 34°F | 98 mm | 2 | 10° / 50°F |
| December | 0 | 4° / 39°F | -3° / 27°F | 116 mm | 1 | 6° / 43°F |
Sea temperature in Boston by month
The sea off Boston is warmest in August at around 20°C / 68°F, and coolest in January at 4°C / 39°F. It never reaches comfortable swimming temperatures (21°C+). Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Boston on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Manchester (New Hampshire) United States · 72 km · best in Sep · 2,158 h sun/yr
- Providence/Warwick United States · 79 km · best in Aug · 2,279 h sun/yr
- Martha's Vineyard United States · 113 km · best in Jul · 2,196 h sun/yr
- Nantucket United States · 146 km · best in Jul · 2,196 h sun/yr
- Hartford United States · 146 km · best in May · 2,192 h sun/yr
- Portland (Maine) United States · 154 km · best in Jul · 2,150 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Bedford United States · 26 km · 2,157 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Worcester United States · 72 km · 2,157 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- New Bedford United States · 76 km · 2,197 h sun/yr · best in Jul
- Portsmouth United States · 81 km · 2,149 h sun/yr · best in Jul
Head-to-head
How Boston compares month by month: Boston vs Providence/Warwick · Boston vs Manchester (New Hampshire) · Boston vs Portland (Maine) · Boston vs Martha's Vineyard · all comparisons
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