Gloucester in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Gloucester sees average daytime highs around 38°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 13.5 in of precipitation over about 32 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 44°F in early December to 38°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
38°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
29°F
Precipitation
13.5 in
32 wet days
Avg wind
15 mph
Travel score
0.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Gloucester in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 44°F in early December to 38°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Gloucester reaches about 38°F and drops to 29°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Gloucester

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Gloucester 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
Jan36° / 26°4.310.75.89.20.0
Feb37° / 27°3.89.5510.30.0
Mar40° / 32°5.211.54.411.60.1
Apr47° / 41°4.811.21.113.11.5
May55° / 49°3.910.8014.43.6
Jun64° / 59°3.79.5015.15.8
Jul70° / 65°2.78.6014.86.8
Aug70° / 65°3.27.9013.76.9
Sep65° / 60°3.88.2012.36.3
Oct57° / 51°5.210.50.110.84.2
Nov49° / 42°4.610.40.69.62.0
Dec41° / 33°5.411.43.88.90.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Gloucester gets around 13.5 in of rain and snow over 32 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%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 15 mph across winter.

05101520DecJanFeb

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 2.1 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Gloucester

In seasonPeak

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

Gloucester 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 Gloucester?

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.

0.1
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 Gloucester.

What to pack for Gloucester in Winter

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

In winter, Gloucester sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 32 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Gloucester in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 42°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 39°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
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Gloucester 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 Gloucester 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 highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gloucester?

Gloucester sits at 42.6°N, 70.7°W, 52 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Beverly Cove, 11 mi away.

Topography around Gloucester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gloucester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,230 ft.

The land around Gloucester is covered by trees (45%) and water (31%) within 2 miles, water (74%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
240 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
1,230 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Beverly Cove 11 mi · Beverly 12 mi · Marblehead 12 mi · Salem 14 mi · Danvers 14 mi · Peabody 15 mi · South Peabody 16 mi · Newburyport 17 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 Gloucester (42.614°, -70.6631°, elevation 52 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.