Acton in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Acton sees average daytime highs around 37°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 10.3 in of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 37°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Acton's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Acton's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
37°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
22°F
Precipitation
10.3 in
28 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Acton in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 37°F.

A typical winter day in Acton reaches about 37°F and drops to 22°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Acton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
54 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Acton weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 20°3.29.66.29.20.0
Feb37° / 22°3.08.55.710.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.111.15.111.61.1
Apr57° / 39°3.610.51.213.14.0
May67° / 49°3.110.5014.46.0
Jun77° / 58°3.510.7015.16.5
Jul83° / 64°3.210.3014.85.8
Aug81° / 62°3.49.6013.76.5
Sep73° / 55°3.48012.37.0
Oct61° / 44°3.79.30.210.85.3
Nov50° / 34°3.39.11.19.62.3
Dec40° / 26°4.110.358.90.1

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Acton gets around 10.3 in of rain and snow over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 8 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.2 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Acton

In seasonPeak

None of Acton's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Acton sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Acton?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Acton.

What to pack for Acton in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Acton sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Acton in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 41°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 29 mi away) is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan41Bracing
Feb38Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug66Cool
Sep63Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Acton in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Acton peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Acton in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Acton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Acton?

Acton sits at 42.5°N, 71.4°W, 266 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Concord, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Acton

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Acton.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Acton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 236 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,176 ft.

The land around Acton is covered by trees (86%) within 2 miles, trees (84%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
3,176 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Concord 4.3 mi · Westford 6.2 mi · Sudbury 6.8 mi · Chelmsford 8.7 mi · Billerica 9.9 mi · Lexington 11 mi · Marlborough 11 mi · Lowell 12 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Acton (42.4851°, -71.4328°, elevation 266 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.