Climate and average weather in Waterford

In Waterford, the summers are humid, warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, breezy, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: early June to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Waterford typically varies from 29°F to 75°F, and is rarely below 13°F or above 81°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Waterford for warm-weather activities is from early June to early October.

Hottest
Jul
75°
Coldest
Jan
29°
Wettest
Dec
4.9 in
Driest
Jul
3.1 in
Rain / yr
48.3 in
118 wet days
Daylight
9.0–15.0 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
30 ft
41.3°N
Clearest
Oct
52% cloud

Waterford is town in New London County, Connecticut, United States.

Founded
1801

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

Waterford 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 June to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 3.7 months, from June 9 to September 30, with daily high temperatures above 66°F. The hottest month of the year in Waterford is July, with an average high of 75°F and low of 68°F.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from December 11 to March 25, with daily high temperatures below 44°F. The coldest month of the year in Waterford is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 38°F.

Days typically run about 8°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3829
Feb3829
Mar4334
Apr5143
May5951
Jun6861
Jul7568
Aug7568
Sep7062
Oct6153
Nov5243
Dec4435

How hot and cold Waterford 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 16°F (around January 22), with roughly 129 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan38381729
Feb38381829
Mar43432534
Apr50513643
May59594951
Jun68686161
Jul75756868
Aug75756868
Sep70706262
Oct61615253
Nov52523643
Dec43442535

Average hourly temperature in Waterford

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 75°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 29°F.

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

Waterford 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
Jan38° / 29°3.910.34.79.40.0
Feb38° / 29°3.59.13.910.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.710.53.511.70.4
Apr51° / 43°4.210.80.513.12.4
May59° / 51°3.510.6014.34.4
Jun68° / 61°3.79.7014.96.3
Jul75° / 68°3.18.9014.77.2
Aug75° / 68°3.89.2013.77.2
Sep70° / 62°4.28.6012.36.8
Oct61° / 53°4.79.70.110.95.2
Nov52° / 43°4.19.40.59.72.8
Dec44° / 35°4.911.42.89.10.6

Chance of rain

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

Waterford gets about 48.3 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 2.4 months, from around Mar 19 to May 29, peaking in April at about 37% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 1.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 4.9 in over about 11 wet days; July is the driest, with 3.1 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 3 · 37%Sep 1 · 25%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3310
Feb339
Mar3411
Apr3611
May3411
Jun3110
Jul299
Aug309
Sep289
Oct3110
Nov329
Dec3611

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Waterford collects about 48.3 in of rain across 118 wet days — roughly 4.0 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 4.9 in, while July is the driest at just 3.1 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 30% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.93.54.74.23.53.73.13.84.24.74.14.9
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.9105
Feb3.594
Mar4.7114
Apr4.2111
May3.5110
Jun3.7100
Jul3.190
Aug3.890
Sep4.290
Oct4.7100
Nov4.191
Dec4.9113

Snow in Waterford

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.

Waterford averages about 16 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 9 to Apr 14 — about 5.2 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 10 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 40 in of snow.

0246JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 13
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan510
Feb412
Mar49
Apr11
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov11
Dec37

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Waterford, 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 24 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around November 21. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 22 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around June 23. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 55% 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 29 · 58%Dec 16 · 43%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan4654
Feb4753
Mar4654
Apr4555
May4555
Jun4852
Jul5545
Aug5644
Sep5644
Oct5446
Nov5050
Dec4555

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 14, brings about 15 hours of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 9 hours — a swing of roughly 6 hours.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.47:184:38
Feb10.36:535:14
Mar11.76:085:48
Apr13.15:166:22
May14.34:356:54
Jun14.94:207:18
Jul14.74:337:15
Aug13.75:026:43
Sep12.35:355:51
Oct10.96:075:00
Nov9.76:454:23
Dec9.17:144:16

Sunny days

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

Waterford averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 8 and 13 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.8 months, from around Jun 27 to Nov 19. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is December, down near 9 sunny days — about 29% fewer than the October peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightOct 213 daysDec 168 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan10Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar9Mixed
Apr9Mixed
May9Mixed
Jun9Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug12Mixed
Sep13Mixed
Oct13Mixed
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 Waterford, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around June 8 to October 4. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 82% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 5 to June 7, and April 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%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 25 · 100%Jul 27 · 15%oppressivemuggyhumidcomfortabledrycomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr1000000
May8513300
Jun293128120
Jul415303913
Aug616273416
Sep322123203
Oct7415830
Nov954100
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 Waterford is typically light breeze, near 12 mph, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Oct 5 to Apr 12. The windiest month is December, averaging about 14 mph (breezy).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 13 to Oct 4, with August the calmest month at about 10 mph.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezywindyDec 24 · 15 mphAug 7 · 9 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan14breezy
Feb14breezy
Mar13breezy
Apr12light breeze
May11light breeze
Jun10light breeze
Jul10light breeze
Aug10light breeze
Sep11light breeze
Oct13breezy
Nov14breezy
Dec14breezy

Hazard calendar for Waterford

In seasonPeak

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

Waterford 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 Waterford

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around late September, Waterford is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

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 time of year to visit Waterford for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to early October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 28 · 7.3

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
Mar0.5poor
Apr2.3poor
May4.4fair
Jun6.3good
Jul7.2good
Aug7.2good
Sep6.8good
Oct5.2fair
Nov2.8poor
Dec0.7poor

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 Waterford for hot-weather activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 31 · 6.2

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 Waterford, 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 75°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 38°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Waterford sees daytime highs around 75°F and nights near 68°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Waterford

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 15 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 15 to Sep 15 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun61Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index (midday) in Waterford 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 Waterford peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Waterford

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
Jun84.5
Jul84
Aug6.50
Sep60
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Waterford 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 Waterford is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Waterford typically lasts about 296 days, from around March 8 to December 28 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 1 to November 22.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 850%Apr 190%Nov 2290%Dec 2850%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan3631
Feb3528
Mar6330
Apr980
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov937
Dec6431

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. Waterford banks about 2,627 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
Apr1
May156
Jun435
Jul664
Aug662
Sep484
Oct220
Nov6
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.

Waterford receives about 4.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.7 and 6.5 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 21. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.3 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.7 kWh/m² — roughly 73% less than the July peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 26.5 kWhDec 181.7 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.1Moderate
Feb3.0Moderate
Mar4.1Bright
Apr5.2Bright
May5.9Bright
Jun6.3Intense
Jul6.3Intense
Aug5.6Bright
Sep4.4Bright
Oct3.2Moderate
Nov2.2Moderate
Dec1.7Dim

Where is Waterford?

Waterford sits at 41.3°N, 72.1°W, 30 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is New London, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Waterford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waterford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 102 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 656 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,325 ft.

The land around Waterford is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and water (39%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
656 ft
50 miles
1,325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Nearby: New London 1.9 mi · Ledyard 9.3 mi · Montville Center 9.3 mi · Norwich 13 mi · Westerly 16 mi · Madison 24 mi · Windham 25 mi · Willimantic 25 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 Waterford (41.3417°, -72.136°, elevation 30 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).