Climate risk in Boston
Massachusetts, United States of America · 4.5M people in the urban area
What threatens Boston most
- Water stress
- Medium-High WRI Aqueduct
- Drought
- Low-Medium WRI Aqueduct
- River flood
- 0.36 m in a 100-year flood
Tsunamis and landslides are not rated for a single city here. Climate risk profile of United States of America
Boston is projected to be +2.8°C warmer by 2050 under moderate emissions.
New York: +2.7°C.
Boston's climate in the 2050s
2041-2060 compared with 1991-2020, moderate emissions
By the 2050s, Boston is projected to have the climate that Philadelphia (United States of America) has today.
+2°C
Mean temperature over the year
+2°C
Highest in the warmest month
+2.6°C
Lowest in the coldest month
+4%
Precipitation over the year
Under high emissions, Boston would have the climate that Philadelphia (United States of America) has today.
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How close the match is: 0.0 σ to the climate of Philadelphia today, where under 2 is close and over 4 is no match (Mahony et al. 2017). 1 of 3 climate model runs name the same city. Seasonal temperature and rain are compared, not extremes, city heat or the sea.
Where else Boston stands out
341 mm
Sea level rise by 2050, moderate emissions
New York: 346 mm.
Higher than in 93% of the world's 205 large cities
0.36 m
River flood depth, 100-year event
New York: Dry at the city centre point.
Higher than in 91% of the world's 630 large cities
Hazards at Boston
Read at the city's centre and compared with the Atlas's 630 large cities. Moderate emissions is the IPCC's scenario SSP2-4.5.
| Hazard | Boston | Among large cities | In United States of America |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot days in 2025, over 35 °C | 1 day | Among large cities: above 38% | In United States of America: 26 of 51 |
| Tropical nights in 2025, over 20 °C | 24 days | Among large cities: above 28% | In United States of America: 39 of 51 |
| Hottest day of 2025 | 35.4°C | Among large cities: above 41% | In United States of America: 28 of 51 |
| Warming by 2050, moderate emissions | +2.8°C | Among large cities: above 96% | In United States of America: 7 of 51 |
| Days with 20 mm of rain or more in 2025 | 11 days | Among large cities: above 57% | In United States of America: 19 of 51 |
| River flood depth, 100-year event | 0.36 m | Among large cities: above 91% | In United States of America: 8 of 51 |
| Coastal flood depth, 100-year event | Dry at the city centre point | ||
| Sea level rise by 2050, moderate emissions | 341 mm | Among large cities: above 93% | In United States of America: 8 of 19 |
| Water stress | Medium-High (20-40%) | Among large cities: above 43% | In United States of America: 18 of 48 |
| Drought risk | Low-Medium | Among large cities: above 1% | In United States of America: 17 of 48 |
| Earthquake shaking, once in 475 years | 0.47 m/s² | Among large cities: above 43% | In United States of America: 19 of 51 |
| Land burned in an average year | 0% | ||
| Cyclone wind, once in 100 years | 28.7 m/s |
Flood depth is read in a single 1 km cell at the city's centre, in today's climate. Other parts of the city can still flood. The country page names the deepest point near a coastal city in 2080, so its figure can be higher. See how deep a river flood reaches around Boston on the live map
See the sea level rise around Boston on the live map
341 mm © OpenStreetMap Large cities near Boston
- Providence · United States of America
- Bridgeport · United States of America
- New York · United States of America
- Montreal · Canada
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Source: Criora (criora.com), based on ECMWF, NEX-GDDP-CMIP6, WRI, IPCC, GSHAP, GFED500
APA
Criora. (2026). Boston, United States of America: climate risk profile [Data set]. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://criora.com/atlas/USA/boston BibTeX
@misc{criora_atlas_USA_boston_2026,
author = {{Criora}},
title = {Boston, United States of America: climate risk profile},
year = {2026},
url = {https://criora.com/atlas/USA/boston},
urldate = {2026-11-02}
} Each reading stays under its source's terms; the sources are named on this page.
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