Climate of New England

The climate of New England varies greatly across its 500-mile (800 km) span from northern Maine to southern Connecticut. Extreme southern New England is considerably warmer, sunnier, and sees far less snow than the northernmost points of New England.

Köppen climate types in New England

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are part of the Appalachian Mountains.

Harbor Point Marina in Stamford, Connecticut during summer

Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Interior northern Massachusetts have a humid continental climate (Dfb in Köppen climate classification). In this region, the winters are long, cold, and heavy snow is common (most locations receive 60 to 120 inches (1,500 to 3,000 mm) of snow annually in this region). The summer months are moderately warm, though summer is rather short. Annual rainfall is spread evenly throughout the year. Cities like Bangor, Maine, Portland, Maine, Manchester, New Hampshire, Burlington, Vermont, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts average around 45 inches (1,100 mm) of rainfall and 60 to 90 inches (1,500 to 2,300 mm) of snow annually. The frost-free growing season ranges from just 90 days in far northern Maine and in the valleys of the White and Green Mountains, to as much as 140 days along the Southern Maine coast and in most of western Massachusetts.

In central and eastern Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island, and northern Connecticut, the same humid continental prevails (Dfa), though summers are hotter, winters are shorter with less snowfall. Cities like Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts, Hartford, and Providence generally receive 35 to 50 inches (890 to 1,270 mm) of snow annually. Summers can occasionally be hot and humid, with high temperatures in the lower Connecticut River valley of southern Massachusetts and Connecticut between 80 and 90 °F (27 and 32 °C) on a regular basis during June, July, and August. Convective Thunderstorms are common in these months as well, some of which can become severe. The frost-free growing season ranges from 140 days in parts of central Massachusetts to near 160 days across interior Connecticut and most of Rhode Island.[1]

Coastal Rhode Island and southern Connecticut are the broad transition zone from continental climates to the north, to temperate climates (called subtropical in some climate classifications) to the south. In this region, summers can be quite long and hot, with humid, tropical air masses being common between May and September. Convective thundershowers are common in summer. The coast of Connecticut from Stamford, through the New Haven area to the New London, and Westerly and Newport, Rhode Island area is usually the mildest area of New England in winter. Winter precipitation in this area falls mostly in the form of rain or a wintry mix of sleet, rain , and wet snow. Seasonal snowfall is far less across far southern Connecticut and coastal Rhode Island here than it is across interior and Northern coastal areas (only 24 to 30 inches (610 to 760 mm) of snow annually. Cold snaps in this far southern zone also tend to be shorter and less intense than points north. Winters also tend to be sunnier and warmer in southern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island compared to northern and central New England. The frost-free growing season approaches 200 days along the Connecticut coast.[2]

Tropical cyclones have struck southern New England several times, especially across southern Connecticut, coastal Rhode Island, and Cape Cod. The Great New England Hurricane Of 1938 and (Hurricane Carol) in 1954 struck the region and as a result several hundred people were killed. Other tropical cyclones that impacted the region include Hurricane Donna, Hurricane Gloria, Hurricane Bob, Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy.[3]