Boston · Month comparison

January vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs January at #11. Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

Snowy Beacon Hill cobbled streets in Boston

January

#11 of 12 months

Worth considering

Nor'easter season — snowed-in Beacon Hill cobbles, museum culture, Restaurant Week prices.

  • ↑Boston Restaurant Week (Jan/March) — $20 lunch and $40 dinner at top tables
  • ↑Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner empty mornings
October foliage on Boston Public Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

  • ↑Foliage on Comm Ave, Public Garden and the Common at world-class peak
  • ↑Salem (30 min north) Haunted Happenings runs all month
FactorJanuaryOctober
Weather score
3
10
Value score
9
4
Crowd score
9
4
Events score
4
10
Atmosphere
7
10
Avg high temp2°C17°C
Monthly rain90mm110mm
Daily sunshine5hrs7hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓Nor'easters can drop 30cm in a day, cancel flights and shut the T
  • ↓Freedom Trail icy on cobbled stretches; gloves and grippers essential
  • ↓Cape Cod and Salem day trips off the table

October trade-offs

  • ↓Salem and foliage day-tripper traffic clogs every northbound road
  • ↓Hotel rates spike for Head of the Charles weekend
  • ↓110mm rain — wettest autumn month
See all 12 months for Boston →January in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Boston. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →