30-year climate normals

Essex County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

81.8°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 19.7°F.

Essex County gets 44.89" 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	36.2°	19.7°	3.15"
February	38.5°	21.0°	2.93"
March	45.2°	28.0°	4.17"
April	56.5°	37.1°	4.27"
May	66.5°	46.8°	3.42"
June	75.8°	56.1°	3.83"
July	81.8°	62.2°	3.45"
August	80.7°	60.6°	3.27"
September	73.4°	53.2°	3.62"
October	62.0°	42.4°	4.54"
November	51.4°	33.9°	4.01"
December	41.5°	25.7°	4.23"

Rainfall by month

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

January 3.15"

February 2.93"

March 4.17"

April 4.27"

May 3.42"

June 3.83"

July 3.45"

August 3.27"

September 3.62"

October 4.54"

November 4.01"

December 4.23"

Annual total 44.89"

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 611

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 6,103

Approximate annual cooling cost At 28.82¢/kWh, Massachusetts average $176

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $616

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 Essex County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Essex County?

Essex County averages a high of 81.8°F in July and a low of 19.7°F in January. Annual precipitation is 44.89 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Essex 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 Essex County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 81.8°F. That drives 611 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Essex County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Essex County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station BEVERLY MUNI AP, MA US (USW00054733), 4.8 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.