Amherst in Summer
In summer (June, July and August), Amherst sees average daytime highs around 77°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 10.8 in of rain over about 36 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 72°F in early June to 76°F by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.
Summer is Amherst's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Amherst's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 77°F
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 61°F
- Rainfall
- 10.8 in
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 6.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Amherst in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 72°F in early June to 76°F by late August.
A typical summer day in Amherst reaches about 77°F and drops to 61°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is July, the coolest June.
How summer really feels in Amherst
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Amherst weather by month
How the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32° / 20° | 2.9 | 12.6 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 33° / 20° | 2.4 | 10.4 | 8.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 42° / 27° | 2.9 | 11.9 | 6.1 | 11.6 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 55° / 38° | 3.6 | 12.2 | 2.3 | 13.1 | 3.3 |
| May | 66° / 49° | 3.3 | 12 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.8 |
| Jun | 75° / 59° | 3.8 | 12.1 | 0 | 15.1 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 79° / 63° | 3.9 | 12.9 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.3 |
| Aug | 78° / 62° | 3.2 | 11.3 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.7 |
| Sep | 71° / 55° | 3.2 | 10 | 0 | 12.3 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 59° / 45° | 3.5 | 12.6 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 47° / 35° | 3.0 | 11.4 | 3.2 | 9.5 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 37° / 26° | 3.0 | 12.5 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Amherst gets around 10.8 in of rain over 36 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 7 mph across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min in early June to 13 h 06 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Amherst?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Amherst for sightseeing.
What to pack for Amherst in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Amherst sees daytime highs around 77°F and nights near 61°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 36 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Amherst in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 69°F across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 34°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 4 to Sep 20 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 37 | 34 | 34 | 38 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 74 | 69 | 60 | 50 | 43 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | Bracing |
| Feb | 34 | Bracing |
| Mar | 34 | Bracing |
| Apr | 38 | Bracing |
| May | 48 | Bracing |
| Jun | 62 | Cool |
| Jul | 72 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 74 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 69 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 60 | Cool |
| Nov | 50 | Bracing |
| Dec | 43 | Bracing |
UV index in Amherst in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Amherst peaks around June 22 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Amherst?
Amherst sits at 43.0°N, 78.8°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eggertsville, 1.2 mi away.
Topography around Amherst
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Amherst.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amherst has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 617 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,152 ft.
The land around Amherst is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (32%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (39%), artificial surfaces (27%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (36%) and water (35%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Amherst (42.9784°, -78.7998°, elevation 597 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.