Climate averages 1991–2020
New Bedford weather
in December.
A cold, wet month: the 10th warmest and the 11th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a cold month in New Bedford: daytime highs average 5.8°C and nights cool to about 0.2°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 109 mm of rain on roughly 11 days, which makes December a wet month (the 11th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 13 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Fall River (20 km away). In December its highs average 5.6°C, about as warm as New Bedford, with 110 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, New Bedford ranks joint 331st of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 425th of 498 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; New Bedford is 4.7°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 3.0°C to 2.9°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 109 mm to 94 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
New Bedford climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.9°C-3.4°C | -3.4°C | 94 | 9.9 | 9.510 h |
| February | 3.4°C-3.0°C | -3.0°C | 81 | 9.1 | 10.611 h |
| March | 6.1°C0.0°C | 0.0°C | 111 | 10.6 | 11.912 h |
| April | 11.0°C5.1°C | 5.1°C | 96 | 10.8 | 13.313 h |
| May | 16.0°C10.2°C | 10.2°C | 78 | 10.8 | 14.515 h |
| June | 21.0°C15.5°C | 15.5°C | 83 | 9.1 | 15.115 h |
| July | 24.6°C19.4°C | 19.4°C | 74 | 9.5 | 14.915 h |
| August | 24.3°C19.2°C | 19.2°C | 87 | 9.5 | 13.914 h |
| September | 21.0°C16.0°C | 16.0°C | 88 | 8.4 | 12.513 h |
| October | 15.8°C10.5°C | 10.5°C | 104 | 9.3 | 11.111 h |
| November | 10.5°C5.1°C | 5.1°C | 93 | 8.9 | 9.910 h |
| December, selected | 5.8°C0.2°C | 0.2°C | 109 | 10.7 | 9.29 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Fall River in DecemberUnited States · 20 kmHigh 5.6°C · Low -0.9°C · 110 mm rain
- Warwick in DecemberUnited States · 41 kmHigh 5.6°C · Low -1.4°C · 109 mm rain
- Providence in DecemberUnited States · 45 kmHigh 5.5°C · Low -1.9°C · 109 mm rain
- Pawtucket in DecemberUnited States · 46 kmHigh 5.4°C · Low -2.0°C · 107 mm rain
- Brockton in DecemberUnited States · 50 kmHigh 5.1°C · Low -1.6°C · 110 mm rain
- Quincy in DecemberUnited States · 69 kmHigh 4.9°C · Low -1.6°C · 115 mm rain
- Dorchester in DecemberUnited States · 75 kmHigh 4.6°C · Low -2.4°C · 115 mm rain
- Boston in DecemberUnited States · 81 kmHigh 4.4°C · Low -3.1°C · 115 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for New Bedford) is explained once on the New Bedford year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.