Climate in Connecticut (United States)

Connecticut's climate is continental, with very cold, snowy winters and warm to hot summers, during which there are quite frequent thunderstorms.
Connecticut is a small state in the northeastern United States, in the region called New England, which also includes the states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. To the south it faces the sea in the Long Island Sound, and to the southwest it is close to New York City.
We are in un area where different air masses collide: those coming from Canada and those coming from the Gulf of Mexico. The result is an unstable climate, with waves of bad weather alternating with clear and sunny days.
The state is largely occupied by plains, while in the northwest we find an area of low mountains, the Litchfield Hills. The highest point is Mount Frissell, which is 748 meters (2,454 feet) high but whose summit is in Massachusetts, while in Connecticut it reaches 725 meters (2,378 ft). To the southeast is Bear Mountain, 708 meters (2,322 ft) high and whose summit lies entirely in Connecticut.
The main river is Connecticut, which flows north to south in the center of the state and runs through the city of Hartford.
The main cities are Bridgeport, New Haven (where Yale University is located), Stamford, and Hartford.
At sea level, the average temperature in January ranges from about -3 °C (26.5 °F) in the north to about 0 °C (32 °F) on the southern coast, that of July ranges from 23 °C (73.5 °F) in the north to 24 °C (75 °F) on the coast.

Here are the temperatures at Hartford
Here are the average temperatures in Bridgeport, on the coast.

Precipitation in Connecticut is quite abundant, since it exceeds 1,000 millimeters (40 inches) per year. There is no dry season. Here is the average precipitation in Hartford.

The sea temperature in Connecticut ranges between 4 °C (39 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F). Here are the average sea temperatures in New Haven.



Since the state is small, there are no major climatic differences, although winter is colder in the north, where snowfalls are also more frequent.
However, in winter, cold spells can occur throughout the state, with temperatures dropping to -20 °C (-4 °F) or below. In addition, there can be heavy snowfalls.
The summer is hot and sunny, although thunderstorms can break out in the afternoon. There can also be some relatively cool and rainy days. Sometimes, there may be heat waves, during which the temperature reaches 37/38 °C (99/100 °F).

Best Time

The best times to visit Connecticut are spring and autumn, in order to avoid both the winter cold and the summer heat, and in particular, the month of May and from mid-September to mid-October. June is often a good month as well, but sometimes it can be hot. In early September, the weather can be sticky, though not as hot as in midsummer. In April, it can sometimes be cold and the weather can be unstable, especially at the beginning of the month, while the second half of the month is usually mild.
In autumn (usually around mid-October in the center-north and late October in the south) you can admire the beautiful colors of the trees losing their leaves (the phenomenon called fall foliage).

See also the temperatures by month.