Massachusetts design temperatures
Outdoor heating and cooling design conditions for 6 Massachusetts weather stations. Choose the station nearest to you in distance and elevation, and check whether your building department specifies its own values.
| Station | Elevation | 99.6 % heating | 99 % heating | 1 % cooling / MCWB | 0.4 % cooling / MCWB | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston/LoganWMO 725090 · 1967–1996 | 30 ft | 7 °F | 12 °F | 88 / 72 °F | 91 / 73 °F | Load calculator |
| Chicopee/Westover ARBWMO 744910 · 1967–1996 | 246 ft | 1 °F | 6 °F | 88 / 72 °F | 91 / 73 °F | Load calculator |
| Hanscom AFB/BedfordWMO 744900 · 1967–1996 | 135 ft | 2 °F | 7 °F | 88 / 74 °F | 91 / 76 °F | Load calculator |
| Otis ANGBWMO 725060 · 1966–1995 | 131 ft | 8 °F | 12 °F | 82 / 71 °F | 84 / 72 °F | Load calculator |
| South WeymouthWMO 725097 · 1973–1996 | 161 ft | 5 °F | 10 °F | 88 / 73 °F | 91 / 74 °F | Load calculator |
| WorcesterWMO 725095 · 1973–1996 | 1,011 ft | 1 °F | 5 °F | 83 / 70 °F | 86 / 72 °F | Load calculator |
Using these values
- Heat-loss calculations for homes commonly use the 99 % heating value, and cooling loads the 1 % dry bulb with its mean coincident wet bulb (MCWB). The 99.6 % and 0.4 % values are more conservative.
- “Load calculator” opens the heating and cooling load calculator with that station’s 99 % and 1 % temperatures and its design moisture difference (outdoor air at the 1 % condition versus 75 °F, 50 % RH indoors, at the station’s elevation).
- Source: U.S. Air Force Combat Climatology Center and NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Engineering Weather Data (1999; public domain). Each station’s period of record is shown under its name; they end by 1996, and the climate has warmed since, so check local requirements before relying on a value for a permit.