The month you travel decides your suitcase more than the length of the trip does. Here is what each month is really like in Boston — measured, not guessed — and a list that adjusts to your days, your washing and what you plan to do.
The warmest month in Boston averages 86 °F (30 °C) and the coldest 41 °F (5 °C). In May the gap between day and night reaches 21 °F (11 °C), which is what decides whether you pack layers or a coat.
Two answers change a suitcase more than anything else: how many days you are away, and whether you will do laundry on the way. Pick the month and we do the rest.
It is a list for one adult, and every number is editable. It does not know your airline, your hand luggage or how much you like to carry.
Averages measured at a weather station, not a forecast. This is what a normal year looks like in Boston, which is what you can pack for weeks ahead.
| Month | Day | Night | Gap | Rain | Muggy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41 °F (5 °C) | 23 °F (-5 °C) | 18 °F (10 °C) | 9 | No |
| February | 42 °F (6 °C) | 24 °F (-5 °C) | 19 °F (11 °C) | 9 | No |
| March | 50 °F (10 °C) | 30 °F (-1 °C) | 19 °F (11 °C) | 12 | No |
| April | 60 °F (16 °C) | 40 °F (5 °C) | 20 °F (11 °C) | 14 | No |
| May | 71 °F (21 °C) | 50 °F (10 °C) | 21 °F (11 °C) | 15 | No |
| June | 79 °F (26 °C) | 59 °F (15 °C) | 20 °F (11 °C) | 14 | No |
| July | 86 °F (30 °C) | 66 °F (19 °C) | 19 °F (11 °C) | 14 | No |
| August | 84 °F (29 °C) | 65 °F (18 °C) | 19 °F (10 °C) | 11 | No |
| September | 77 °F (25 °C) | 58 °F (15 °C) | 18 °F (10 °C) | 10 | No |
| October | 66 °F (19 °C) | 48 °F (9 °C) | 18 °F (10 °C) | 13 | No |
| November | 56 °F (13 °C) | 37 °F (3 °C) | 19 °F (10 °C) | 11 | No |
| December | 46 °F (8 °C) | 29 °F (-2 °C) | 17 °F (10 °C) | 12 | No |
«Rain» is the number of days the station recorded rain or drizzle.
Measured at GEN E L LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, 4 km from Boston, averaged over 2006-2025. Each month rests on up to 20 years of daily records. Source: Global Summary of the Day, NOAA/NCEI.
Nights below freezing: this is the month for a proper coat and a base layer, not for an extra jumper.
It rains on 12 days of this month: a waterproof jacket packs smaller than an umbrella and works in wind.
The easy months: one jumper covers the evenings and nothing else is heavy.
It rains on 15 days of this month: a waterproof jacket packs smaller than an umbrella and works in wind.
Warm days and comfortable evenings. Breathable tops save more space than they take.
It rains on 14 days of this month: a waterproof jacket packs smaller than an umbrella and works in wind.
Hot: plan on a fresh top every day, a hat, and shade in the middle of the day.
It rains on 14 days of this month: a waterproof jacket packs smaller than an umbrella and works in wind.
United States: plug types A & B, 120 V, 60 Hz.
Check your charger before buying anything. If it reads «100–240 V» —as almost every phone and laptop charger does— all you need is an adapter for the shape of the pins.
Plug standards from IEC/TR 60083, checked on 2026-10-06.
A printed list works until the moment you are standing in front of an open suitcase with your hands full. In the Joru app the same list lives on your phone: you set up your default packing list —what you always take, in the amounts you always take— and from then on every trip starts from it instead of from a blank page.
And every trip changes it. Four days in Boston in January and two weeks in July are not the same suitcase, so the list is yours to edit per trip: change the amounts, drop what you do not need, add what only this trip needs. What you see on this page is a good starting point; the app is where it becomes your list and where you tick it off while you pack.
Take this list with you
Free for one destination of up to three days, on Android and iPhone.
