Climate and average weather in New Britain

In New Britain, the summers are hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: early August to mid October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in New Britain typically varies from 21°F to 84°F, and is rarely below 4°F or above 93°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit New Britain for warm-weather activities are from early May to early July and early August to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
84°
Coldest
Jan
21°
Wettest
Oct
4.1 in
Driest
Feb
3.0 in
Rain / yr
43.7 in
119 wet days
Daylight
9.0–15.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
167 ft
41.7°N
Clearest
Oct
55% cloud

New Britain is city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.

Density
2,087/km²
people per km²
Founded
1850

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

New Britain weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early August to mid October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in New Britain, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.0 months, from May 25 to September 22, with daily high temperatures above 72°F. The hottest month of the year in New Britain is July, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from December 3 to March 10, with daily high temperatures below 45°F. The coldest month of the year in New Britain is January, with an average low of 21°F and high of 36°F.

Days typically run about 17°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3621
Feb3923
Mar4730
Apr5940
May6950
Jun7859
Jul8465
Aug8263
Sep7456
Oct6245
Nov5135
Dec4127

How hot and cold New Britain really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 11°F (around January 22), with roughly 152 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 40 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan36361321
Feb39391423
Mar47472330
Apr59593540
May69694850
Jun78785959
Jul84846565
Aug82826363
Sep74745656
Oct62624145
Nov51512935
Dec41411927

Average hourly temperature in New Britain

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 84°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 21°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

New Britain weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 21°3.39.35.59.30.0
Feb39° / 23°3.08.6510.30.0
Mar47° / 30°4.110.5411.71.5
Apr59° / 40°3.610.9113.14.4
May69° / 50°3.311014.36.2
Jun78° / 59°3.811.50156.4
Jul84° / 65°3.510.6014.75.5
Aug82° / 63°3.910.1013.76.3
Sep74° / 56°3.88.5012.37.0
Oct62° / 45°4.19.20.210.95.5
Nov51° / 35°3.38.50.99.72.6
Dec41° / 27°4.110.14.490.2

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

New Britain gets about 43.7 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Feb 26 to Aug 19, peaking in June at about 38% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 2.

October is the wettest month by volume, with 4.1 in over about 9 wet days; February is the driest, with 3.0 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJun 19 · 38%Sep 2 · 27%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan309
Feb319
Mar3411
Apr3611
May3511
Jun3712
Jul3511
Aug3210
Sep289
Oct309
Nov299
Dec3210

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, New Britain collects about 43.7 in of rain across 119 wet days — roughly 3.6 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. October is the wettest month with 4.1 in, while February is the driest at just 3.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 28% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

012345JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.33.04.13.63.33.83.53.93.84.13.34.1
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.396
Feb3.095
Mar4.1114
Apr3.6111
May3.3110
Jun3.8120
Jul3.5110
Aug3.9100
Sep3.890
Oct4.190
Nov3.391
Dec4.1104

Snow in New Britain

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

New Britain averages about 21 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 1 to Apr 20 — about 5.6 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 5 days of snow and an estimated 14 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 57 in of snow.

02468JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 11
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan614
Feb515
Mar412
Apr11
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov12
Dec413

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In New Britain, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around June 29 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around December 3. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 52% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 18 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around June 28. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOct 11 · 53%May 16 · 40%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan4852
Feb4852
Mar4456
Apr4159
May4159
Jun4456
Jul5149
Aug5149
Sep5248
Oct5248
Nov4951
Dec4753

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 11, brings about 15 hours of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 hours — a swing of roughly 6 hours.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.37:224:39
Feb10.36:565:16
Mar11.76:115:50
Apr13.15:186:25
May14.34:376:58
Jun15.04:217:21
Jul14.74:347:19
Aug13.75:046:46
Sep12.35:375:54
Oct10.96:105:02
Nov9.76:484:25
Dec9.07:174:17

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

New Britain averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 3.8 months, from around Aug 16 to Dec 8. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 11 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is June, down near 8 sunny days — about 32% fewer than the October peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergloomymixedOct 612 daysJun 137 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan10Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar8Mixed
Apr8Mixed
May8Gloomy
Jun8Gloomy
Jul8Mixed
Aug10Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct11Mixed
Nov10Mixed
Dec9Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In New Britain, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.1 months, from around May 29 to September 29. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 62% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 30 to May 28, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 23 · 100%Jul 25 · 34%oppressivemuggydryhumidcomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr973000
May8012710
Jun412320142
Jul162227269
Aug212325229
Sep482117122
Oct849520
Nov972100
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in New Britain is typically calm, near 6 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.8 months, from around Oct 14 to May 8. The windiest month is March, averaging about 7 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 9 to Oct 13, with August the calmest month at about 5 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeMar 7 · 7 mphAug 7 · 5 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan7calm
Feb7calm
Mar7calm
Apr7calm
May6calm
Jun6calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep6calm
Oct6calm
Nov7calm
Dec7calm

Hazard calendar for New Britain

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

New Britain 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

Best time to visit New Britain

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in New Britain throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid August, New Britain is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit New Britain for general outdoor tourist activities run from early May to early July and again from early August to mid October, with a peak score in the second week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 13 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar1.5poor
Apr4.4fair
May6.1good
Jun6.4good
Jul5.6good
Aug6.3good
Sep7.0good
Oct5.5fair
Nov2.6poor
Dec0.3poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit New Britain for hot-weather activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 12 · 6.9

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for New Britain, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 84°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 36°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, New Britain sees daytime highs around 84°F and nights near 65°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

Sea temperature near New Britain

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 37 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 4 to Sep 28 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar37Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun64Cool
Jul71Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index (midday) in New Britain by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in New Britain peaks around July 11 at about 8 (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 11UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in New Britain

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar4.50
Apr60
May7.54
Jun84
Jul84
Aug60
Sep60
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in New Britain by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in New Britain is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1615 µg/m³Nov 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in New Britain typically lasts about 249 days, from around March 23 to November 26 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 18 to October 22.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 2350%Apr 1890%Oct 2290%Nov 2650%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1731
Feb1928
Mar4231
Apr8615
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct939
Nov6330
Dec2931

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. New Britain banks about 2,893 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr34
May290
Jun559
Jul751
Aug694
Sep449
Oct117
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

New Britain receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.7 and 6.2 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 15 to Sep 21. The brightest month is July, averaging about 5.9 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.7 kWh/m² — roughly 71% less than the July peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 26.2 kWhDec 171.7 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.0Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.0Moderate
Apr5.0Bright
May5.5Bright
Jun6.0Bright
Jul5.9Bright
Aug5.2Bright
Sep4.2Bright
Oct3.0Moderate
Nov2.1Moderate
Dec1.7Dim

Where is New Britain?

New Britain sits at 41.7°N, 72.8°W, 167 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newington, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around New Britain

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Britain has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 ft around an average of 187 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,073 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,585 ft.

The land around New Britain is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
420 ft
10 miles
1,073 ft
50 miles
2,585 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Newington 3.7 mi · Plainville 4.3 mi · Farmington 5.0 mi · Southington 6.8 mi · West Hartford 7.5 mi · Wethersfield 7.5 mi · Hartford 8.7 mi · Meriden 8.7 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 New Britain (41.6612°, -72.7795°, elevation 167 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).