#21 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Boston, MA?
In 2024, 49% of daytime hours in Boston were enjoyable outdoors: 2,337 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #21 of 35 major US cities. September was the best month and January the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 49%
- Comfortable temp
- 53%
- Too cold
- 43%
- Too hot
- 4%
- Lost to rain
- 1.4%
- Lost to gusts
- 2.4%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6% | 6% | 94% | 0% | 0.0% | 34°F |
| February | 14% | 14% | 86% | 0% | 0.0% | 37°F |
| March | 18% | 20% | 80% | 0% | 1.0% | 44°F |
| April | 50% | 53% | 47% | 0% | 0.8% | 51°F |
| May | 78% | 82% | 18% | 0% | 2.5% | 62°F |
| June | 83% | 91% | 0% | 9% | 2.6% | 73°F |
| July | 68% | 77% | 0% | 23% | 4.0% | 77°F |
| August | 80% | 86% | 0% | 14% | 3.5% | 73°F |
| September | 88% | 95% | 5% | 0% | 1.3% | 67°F |
| October | 68% | 72% | 28% | 0% | 1.2% | 58°F |
| November | 28% | 32% | 68% | 0% | 0.0% | 50°F |
| December | 8% | 8% | 92% | 0% | 0.0% | 37°F |
What limits outdoor time
Cold costs Boston more hours than heat does: 43% of daytime hours were too cold, 4% too hot.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 21% were only comfortable in the sun and 24% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 4°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 6°F cooler in summer and 4°F warmer in winter. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Boston, MA compares
- Philadelphia, PA · #18 · 50%
- Las Vegas, NV · #19 · 50%
- Jacksonville, FL · #20 · 50%
- Nashville, TN · #22 · 49%
- Phoenix, AZ · #23 · 48%
- Indianapolis, IN · #24 · 47%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Boston, MA get?
2,337 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 49% of daytime hours, about 180 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #21 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Boston, MA?
September, when 88% of daytime hours were enjoyable. June (83%) and August (80%) came next. January was the worst month, at 6%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Boston, MA?
Mostly temperature. 43% of daytime hours were too cold and 4% too hot. Rain took another 1.4%, and gusty wind 2.4%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.