Your nature year
Gloucester, Massachusettsthrough the year
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Gloucester?
Leaves usually come out around Apr 9 and the first flowers around May 12. Expect about 161 frost-free days in Gloucester: the last spring frost usually comes around May 4, the first fall one around Oct 12, going by NOAA's Beverly station 8.2 miles away. Across Massachusetts, fall color is usually well under way by mid-October. We follow 16 places within 150 miles of Gloucester; the nearest lies 15 miles to the northwest. Parker River Refuge, 15 miles from Gloucester, is the nearest fall foliage spot on this site, Oct 11–31 (local timing). At roughly 38 feet, Gloucester is about as low as towns get.
Updated Sep 28. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Gloucester's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~May 4 to ~Oct 12
- First leaf ~Apr 9
- First bloom ~May 12
- Fall color under way ~Oct 18 (MA)
- Today
Near Gloucester right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by mid-October in MassachusettsStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~3 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Oct 12 · last spring frost around May 4NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Beverly (8.2 mi, 50% dates)~2 weeks
- Fall foliage · Parker River Refuge · 15 miLocal timing: Oct 11–31~13 days
Gloucester's nature year
- Spring green-upApr
- Last spring frostMay
- Fall color (MA)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Parker River Refuge · 15 miLocal timing: Oct 11–31~13 days
- Great Bay Refuge · 32 miLocal timing: Oct 11–20~13 days
- Assabet River Refuge · 42 miusually Oct 11–20~13 days
Snow in Gloucester
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 30 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Beverly (8.2 mi away): 51 inches of snow in an average year, about 10.2 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
May 4
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 12
About 161 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 9
First bloom around May 12
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Beverly (8.2 mi from Gloucester), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Gloucester?
On average around Oct 12, and the last spring frost around May 4: about 161 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Beverly, 8.2 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Gloucester?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 9 and first bloom around May 12, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Gloucester?
Parker River Refuge, 15 miles (local timing: Oct 11–31); Great Bay Refuge, 32 miles (local timing: Oct 11–20); Assabet River Refuge, 42 miles (usually Oct 11–20). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Gloucester?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 30: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Beverly. An average year brings 51 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)