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Winter Weather in Fall River Massachusetts, United States

Daily high temperatures decrease by 5°F, from 47°F to 42°F, rarely falling below 24°F or exceeding 58°F. The lowest daily average high temperature is 37°F on January 29.

Daily low temperatures decrease by 5°F, from 32°F to 27°F, rarely falling below 8°F or exceeding 44°F. The lowest daily average low temperature is 22°F on January 30.

For reference, on July 20, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Fall River typically range from 65°F to 81°F, while on January 30, the coldest day of the year, they range from 22°F to 37°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in the Winter in Fall River

Average High and Low Temperature in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb5°F5°F10°F10°F15°F15°F20°F20°F25°F25°F30°F30°F35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°FFallSpringJan 2937°FJan 2937°F22°F22°FDec 147°FDec 147°F32°F32°FFeb 2842°FFeb 2842°F27°F27°FJan 139°FJan 139°F25°F25°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average winter temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in the Winter in Fall River

Average Hourly Temperature in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpringfreezingfreezingvery coldcoldcoldcold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Qusar, Azerbaijan (5,573 miles away) and Saku, Japan (6,744 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Fall River (view comparison).

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The winter in Fall River experiences gradually increasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy increasing from 49% to 54%. The highest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 54% on February 28.

The clearest day of the winter is December 1, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 51% of the time.

For reference, on February 28, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 54%, while on September 5, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 63%.

Cloud Cover Categories in the Winter in Fall River

Cloud Cover Categories in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FallSpringSep 563%Sep 563%Dec 151%Dec 151%Feb 2846%Feb 2846%Jan 148%Jan 148%Feb 149%Feb 149%clearmostly clearpartly cloudyovercastmostly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Fall River, the chance of a wet day over the course of the winter is essentially constant, remaining around 27% throughout.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 32% on May 23, and its lowest chance is 23% on September 2.

Over the course of the winter in Fall River, the chance of a day with only rain decreases from 22% to 17%, the chance of a day with mixed snow and rain increases from 5% to 7%, and the chance of a day with only snow increases from 1% to 3%.

Probability of Precipitation in the Winter in Fall River

Probability of Precipitation in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%30%30%FallSpringDec 1029%Dec 1029%Jan 2924%Jan 2924%Feb 2827%Feb 2827%Jan 127%Jan 127%snowmixedrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the season and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during the winter in Fall River is decreasing, starting the season at 3.7 inches, when it rarely exceeds 6.2 inches or falls below 1.5 inches, and ending the season at 2.8 inches, when it rarely exceeds 5.3 inches or falls below 1.1 inches.

The lowest average 31-day accumulation is 2.3 inches on January 24.

Average Monthly Rainfall in the Winter in Fall River

Average Monthly Rainfall in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 in8 in8 inFallSpringJan 242.3 inJan 242.3 inDec 13.7 inDec 13.7 inFeb 282.8 inFeb 282.8 inJan 12.5 inJan 12.5 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day snowfall during the winter in Fall River is rapidly increasing, starting the season at 2.5 inches, when it rarely exceeds 7.9 inches, and ending the season at 5.6 inches, when it rarely exceeds 12.6 inches or falls below 0.2 inches.

The highest average 31-day accumulation is 7.2 inches on January 26.

Average Monthly Snowfall in the Winter in Fall River

Average Monthly Snowfall in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 in14 in14 in16 in16 in18 in18 inFallSpringJan 267.2 inJan 267.2 inDec 12.5 inDec 12.5 inFeb 285.6 inFeb 285.6 inJan 16.0 inJan 16.0 in
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.

Over the course of the winter in Fall River, the length of the day is rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the season, the length of the day increases by 1 hour, 52 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 1 minute, 15 seconds, and weekly increase of 8 minutes, 47 seconds.

The shortest day of the winter is December 21, with 9 hours, 9 minutes of daylight and the longest day is February 28, with 11 hours, 14 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in the Winter in Fall River

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrFallSpringDec 219 hr, 9 minDec 219 hr, 9 minnightnightdaydayFeb 2811 hr, 14 minFeb 2811 hr, 14 minFeb 110 hr, 4 minFeb 110 hr, 4 min
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the winter in Fall River is 7:11 AM on January 3 and the earliest sunrise is 51 minutes earlier at 6:20 AM on February 28.

The earliest sunset is 4:13 PM on December 8 and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 20 minutes later at 5:34 PM on February 28.

Daylight saving time is observed in Fall River during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during the winter, so the entire season is in daylight saving time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:10 AM and sets 15 hours, 13 minutes later, at 8:22 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:08 AM and sets 9 hours, 9 minutes later, at 4:17 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in the Winter in Fall River

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMFallSpring6:20 AM6:20 AMFeb 285:34 PMFeb 285:34 PM6:59 AM6:59 AMDec 84:13 PMDec 84:13 PM7:11 AM7:11 AMJan 34:26 PMJan 34:26 PM6:56 AM6:56 AMFeb 15:00 PMFeb 15:00 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day in the winter. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in the Winter in Fall River

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpring010203001020
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth in the the winter of 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for the winter of 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in the Winter in Fall River

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb12 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMFallSpringNov 18:48 AMNov 18:48 AMNov 154:29 PMNov 154:29 PMDec 11:22 AMDec 11:22 AMDec 154:02 AMDec 154:02 AMDec 305:28 PMDec 305:28 PMJan 135:28 PMJan 135:28 PMJan 297:37 AMJan 297:37 AMFeb 128:54 AMFeb 128:54 AMFeb 277:45 PMFeb 277:45 PMMar 142:55 AMMar 142:55 AMMar 296:58 AMMar 296:58 AM7:25 AM7:25 AM7:40 AM7:40 AM7:31 AM7:31 AM7:43 AM7:43 AM7:20 AM7:20 AM3:51 PM3:51 PM4:11 PM4:11 PM8:02 AM8:02 AM7:23 AM7:23 AM4:17 PM4:17 PM7:00 AM7:00 AM6:19 AM6:19 AM5:17 PM5:17 PM6:23 PM6:23 PM7:07 AM7:07 AM7:44 PM7:44 PM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Fall River is essentially constant during the winter, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on August 1, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 47% of the time, while on November 26, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in the Winter in Fall River

Humidity Comfort Levels in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%FallSpringDec 10%Dec 10%Feb 280%Feb 280%Jan 10%Jan 10%Feb 10%Feb 10%drydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Fall River is gradually increasing during the winter, increasing from 9.1 miles per hour to 9.8 miles per hour over the course of the season.

For reference, on January 30, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 9.9 miles per hour, while on July 24, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 6.0 miles per hour.

The highest daily average wind speed during the winter is 9.9 miles per hour on January 31.

Average Wind Speed in the Winter in Fall River

Average Wind Speed in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mphFallSpringJan 319.9 mphJan 319.9 mphDec 19.1 mphDec 19.1 mphFeb 289.8 mphFeb 289.8 mphJan 19.6 mphJan 19.6 mph
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Fall River throughout the winter is predominantly from the west, with a peak proportion of 49% on January 5.

Wind Direction in the Winter in Fall River

Wind Direction in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%FallSpringwestnorthsoutheast
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Fall River is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature in Fall River is very rapidly decreasing during the winter, falling by 11°F, from 49°F to 38°F, over the course of the season.

The lowest average surface water temperature during the winter is 38°F on February 27.

Average Water Temperature in the Winter in Fall River

Average Water Temperature in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb35°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°FFallSpringFeb 2738°FFeb 2738°FDec 149°FDec 149°FJan 144°FJan 144°FFeb 139°FFeb 139°F
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Fall River typically lasts for 6.5 months (198 days), from around April 12 to around October 26, rarely starting before March 25 or after April 29, and rarely ending before October 5 or after November 17.

The winter in Fall River is reliably fully outside of the growing season.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in the Winter in Fall River

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FallSpring0%Jan 150%Jan 15Nov 1710%Nov 1710%frigidfreezingvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Fall River are very rapidly decreasing during the winter, decreasing by 2,797°F, from 2,804°F to 7°F, over the course of the season.

Growing Degree Days in the Winter in Fall River

Growing Degree Days in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°F3,000°F3,000°FFallSpringDec 12,804°FDec 12,804°FFeb 287°FFeb 287°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the winter, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Fall River is increasing during the winter, rising by 1.4 kWh, from 1.9 kWh to 3.3 kWh, over the course of the season.

The lowest average daily incident shortwave solar energy during the winter is 1.7 kWh on December 23.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in the Winter in Fall River

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in the Winter in Fall RiverDecJanFeb0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWhFallSpringDec 231.7 kWhDec 231.7 kWhDec 11.9 kWhDec 11.9 kWhFeb 283.3 kWhFeb 283.3 kWhFeb 12.4 kWhFeb 12.4 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Fall River are 41.701 deg latitude, -71.155 deg longitude, and 108 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Fall River contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 246 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 111 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (351 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (974 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Fall River is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) and water (19%), within 10 miles by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (23%), and within 50 miles by water (44%) and trees (36%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Fall River, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Fall River.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Fall River according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Fall River is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Fall River and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Fall River and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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