Compare Growing-Season Weather

A warm April invites an early planting. The useful follow-up is: warm compared with what, and where? Choose a station and month, then switch between daily temperatures, departures from the 1991–2020 normal midpoint, and accumulated precipitation.

What the lines mean

The current-year curve uses the midpoint of each station’s recorded high and low. The recent-years curve averages matching midpoints in 2023–2025. The long-term curve uses the midpoint of NOAA’s 1991–2020 normal high and low; it is a separate reference, not another observed year. Normal values may include NOAA’s estimates and adjustments; completeness flags and contributing-year counts remain in the downloadable data.

Precipitation is measured in inches of liquid equivalent, including snow. Trace amounts are marked separately and count as zero measurable inches. Daily bars and the coverage strip expose gaps; an accumulated line stops at the first missing day instead of treating it as dry.

Three places, three versions of spring

In the retained April 2026 snapshot, Boston's daily temperature midpoint averaged 1.7°F cooler than matching dates in 2023–2025, while Pittsfield averaged 0.9°F warmer. Both comparisons include all 30 April dates. Select April above to inspect the numbers from the archived NOAA dataset.

That contrast suggests a useful gardening habit: compare a station with your own site before borrowing someone else's planting date. It does not establish a statewide trend or prove that a particular crop succeeded. A soil reading and a record of what happened after planting would make the story useful next season.

Turn the comparison into a decision

  1. Compare the station with your site. Coastal Boston, inland Worcester and upland Pittsfield represent different settings; an airport is not your garden.
  2. Check how many dates are present. A partial month cannot establish what the rest of the month will do.
  3. Measure soil temperature and inspect the short-range forecast before planting tender crops. Historical warmth does not rule out tomorrow's frost.
  4. Record the decision and result: planting date, soil reading, protection and any damage. Next year's question becomes more precise.

The chart is an archived observation comparison, not a forecast, frost-date calculator or site-specific microclimate analysis. NOAA quality flags are retained in the raw archive; flagged temperatures are excluded from this display. Source methods and archives.

Check planting readiness · Understand your microclimate · Keep a weather note