30-year climate normals

Bristol County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

82.5°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 20.7°F.

Bristol County gets 45.94" of precipitation a year, and 28% of it falls in Oct, Nov, Dec.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	39.1°	20.7°	3.72"
February	40.9°	21.7°	3.04"
March	47.3°	27.9°	4.82"
April	57.4°	36.4°	4.01"
May	67.4°	46.0°	3.29"
June	76.3°	55.0°	3.61"
July	82.5°	61.6°	3.04"
August	81.2°	60.0°	3.83"
September	74.0°	52.4°	3.64"
October	63.5°	41.8°	4.56"
November	53.5°	33.3°	4.26"
December	44.1°	26.0°	4.12"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 28% falling in the wettest three months (Oct, Nov, Dec).

January 3.72"

February 3.04"

March 4.82"

April 4.01"

May 3.29"

June 3.61"

July 3.04"

August 3.83"

September 3.64"

October 4.56"

November 4.26"

December 4.12"

Annual total 45.94"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 577

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 5,860

Approximate annual cooling cost At 28.82¢/kWh, Massachusetts average $166

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $591

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Bristol County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Bristol County?

Bristol County averages a high of 82.5°F in July and a low of 20.7°F in January. Annual precipitation is 45.94 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Bristol County?

The wettest stretch is Oct, Nov, Dec, which accounts for 28% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Bristol County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 82.5°F. That drives 577 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Bristol County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Bristol County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station NEW BEDFORD MUNI AP, MA US (USW00094726), 8.4 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Massachusetts residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.