Gray Sky Index · Massachusetts
Boston, MA: gray days, sunny days and the best month to shoot
Boston averages 164 gray days and 201 clear or partly cloudy days a year — #16 grayest of the 43 US metros we track. August is the clearest for exterior shoots; January and March and April and May and November and December the grayest.
- Gray days a year
- 164
- #16 grayest of 43 metros
- Sunny days a year
- 201
- 98 clear, 103 partly cloudy
- Clearest month
- August
- fewest gray days: shoot exteriors
- Grayest month
- January
- most gray days: plan interiors
Gray days by month in Boston
Mean gray days each month at Boston, 60 years of record. The clearest months are in ink.
- 15 in January
- 13 in February
- 15 in March
- 15 in April
- 15 in May
- 13 in June
- 12 in July
- 11 in August
- 12 in September
- 12 in October
- 15 in November
- 15 in December
Shoot this week in Boston?
National Weather Service forecast: average sky cover from 9am to 5pm local time, for the next 7 days.
Partly cloudy: shoot exteriors midday
Today 49% sky cover, 5% chance of rain. Least gray day this week: Wed, Nov 4, 19%.
- 49%Tue11/3
- 19%Wed11/4
- 68%Thu11/5
- 78%Fri11/6
- 73%Sat11/7
- 41%Sun11/8
- 52%Mon11/9
Clear (35% or less)Partly cloudy (to 65%)Gray
Best time to sell a house in Boston
Share of the year’s new listings by month, 2023–2025 (Realtor.com). The three busiest months are in ink.
- 5.7% in January
- 5.9% in February
- 8.5% in March
- 10.9% in April
- 11.4% in May
- 11.3% in June
- 8.6% in July
- 7.9% in August
- 11.2% in September
- 8.7% in October
- 6.5% in November
- 3.4% in December
May, June, September bring 33.9% of Boston’s new listings; December the fewest. Shoot exteriors in the clearest weeks before the peak, and you list with the photos already done.
Boston scores 41/100 on the Listing Difficulty Index — #34 hardest of 43: 43 days on market and 16.6% of listings with a price cut. See every market’s score.
Nearby metros
- New York, NY132 gray days a year
- Philadelphia, PA160 gray days a year
- Baltimore, MD152 gray days a year
- Washington, DC164 gray days a year
Boston: questions
Does Boston get a lot of sun?
Boston averages 201 clear or partly cloudy days a year and 164 gray days, on NOAA’s long-term record.
What is the cloudiest month in Boston?
January and March and April and May and November and December has the most gray days in Boston. August has the fewest, which makes it the easiest month for exterior shoots.
When is the best time to list a house in Boston?
Most new listings in Boston come on the market in May, June, September. Listing just before the peak meets the most buyers with the least competition; plan exterior shoots for the clearest days in the weeks before.
More free tools
Listing Difficulty Index
A 0–100 score for 43 US metros on how hard a listing has to work to stand out, and each market’s busiest listing months.
Listing Photo Rules Tracker
Every state law and MLS rule on AI-edited and virtually staged listing photos: what to disclose, when it applies and the penalties.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Comparative Climatic Data: mean number of clear, partly cloudy and cloudy days; US National Weather Service gridpoint forecast.
