What’s the weather like in Salem?

Everyone always asks us about the weather in Salem for the time of year they are planning to

visit. Honestly, it is hard to say because the weather can change here very frequently. The

weather in New England is unique as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain, pointed out: “If you don’t like the weather in New England now, wait a few minutes.”

You can look up historical records of Salem weather from the year before and use that as a

gauge for the current year, but that sometimes is not useful. We can experience a gamut of

weather conditions. The Puritans completely misjudged the weather when they started coming here in 1626. They expected it to be similar to England because we were approximately the same longitude, but they were surprised.

The only thing we can say for sure is that we will not get snow in June, July or August. And

probably not September. (I hope I didn’t just jinx us). This means we have seen snow in April

(the famous April Fools’ snowstorm 1997), May and October.

It can get very hot in summer. Sometimes we get 100+ degree weather but not for long. We

have also experienced 80+ degree weather in September and October in addition to 50- and 60- degree weather. We have had heatwaves of 90+ degrees for weeks. March can be raw and rainy as April, but we also get 60+ degree weather in early April and it climbs upward from there by the end of the month.

Our answer to everyone is to bring layers, check the weather apps in advance and be prepared. In the event you don’t, many places sell rain ponchos, umbrellas, hoodies, hats, gloves, sweaters, long and short sleeve shirts. Remember that if you live in a very warm climate, Salem will seem colder to you. Conversely, if you live in a colder climate, Salem will seem warmer to

you.

One thing to keep in mind is that weather forecast isn’t always correct. They get it wrong quite a bit because weather patterns have changed and they really can’t predict it too well. You need to check the weather forecast every couple of hours or just stick your head out the window.

We have also noted some interesting phenomena. Weather predicted for Boston does not

necessarily happen exactly the same in Salem. The same for the Merrimack Valley to the north that are the cities and towns along the Merrimack River. We are less than 20 miles apart from Boston and the Merrimack Valley, but it is enough for Salem to have its own micro-weather pattern.

We also do not get the same weather as the cities and towns South and West of Boston, nor

Cape Cod. When you hear rain is predicted, the forecasters are moreso predicting for Greater Boston in general.

Why does rain predicted for the region doesnt necessarily happen here? Well, some say it is the witches protecting us. They say that until we get a two-foot snowstorm and then it is said the witches are cursing us.

The theory is what surrounds us protects us. The ocean is to our east and the highway

surrounds us to the north and west. The highway creates a heat barrier due to sun radiating off of the road and the heat generated from the vehicles. Weak storms tend to follow the highway and go north of us to the ocean, thereby missing us completely. While Boston may be experiencing downpours, we might be just cloudy with a few scattered sprinkles or we’re 70 degrees and muggy.

And remember that a downpour doesn’t last long. It usually occurs for 10-15 minutes and then it is over. A rain forecast usually comes with the amount of rain by inches. A quarter inch of rain over an afternoon is really a mist, a half inch of rain in the same time period is a mist to steady rain and one inch of rain during that same time is a steady rain. If they predict more than an inch for an afternoon, wear your galoshes. If they predict two or more inches for the same time period, expect flooding.

Don’t be afraid to come to our lovely city if adverse weather is predicted. Maybe bring a few

extra items just to be safe. Nobody believes that Mr. Twain ever came to Salem, but we do

believe that if he came here, he would brought an umbrella and his galoshes and had some

compelling words to say about our local weather.