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Shaded-relief map of Nantucket, Massachusetts: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
MASSACHUSETTS · NANTUCKET COUNTY

Nantucket

14,670 people, 30 ft above sea level in Nantucket County.

30 ftElevation, city center
14,670People, 2024 estimate
46 sq miLand area
Clear 43°
Clear now Dew point 30° · W 10 mph · high 45°
City of Nantucket River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Nantucket plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Nantucket

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 4:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Nantucket Memorial Airport (KACK) · 4:53 PM
Clear
43° Clear Feels like 37° · high of 45° near 5 PM
WindW 10 mphno gusts
Humidity60%rising to 76% by morning
Pressure29.71 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 30° · Dry39° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 120.94 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Nantucket County
NWS Norton and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 5:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:27 AM4:22 PM ↓
9 h 55 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
26
GOODAir quality index · ozone
Tomorrow: 30, good. No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
5p
8p
11p
2a
5a
8a
11a
2p
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
clear day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
45°
41°
49°
43°
49°
43°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
12
12
12
13
15
16
16
14
14
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12
12
12
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11
9
7
6
7
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9
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13
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 30 to 39° More humid: 39° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 53° / 40°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
45° 40°
0% rain — WNW 12 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
50° 39°
0% rain — NW 16 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
51° 37°
0% rain — NNW 12 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 42°
0% rain — W 10 A
WED Nov. 18 Sunny Sunny
56° 44°
0% rain — W 10 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
56° 47°
0% rain — WSW 9 A
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 45°
0% rain — WNW 7 A
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Nantucket about 5,000 feet above the ground was over British Columbia three days ago, and over the Great Lakes a day ago, about 2,560 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from the Gulf of Alaska. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, FOUR YEARS AGO Nov. 11, 2022

The hottest this week has been

69° on Nov. 11, 2022, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1948. Next is 68° in 2014.

68°
69°
20142022
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Nantucket Memorial Airport record since 1948.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Nantucket stands on

Nantucket’s center stands about 30 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 70 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Cretaceous sediments (fine-detrital, coarse-detrital), from the Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 72 to 145 million years old.

Nantucket, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft NANTUCKET30 ftMadaket10 ftShawkemo Hills90 ftSauls Hills90 ft ← WE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Cretaceous sediments

Fine-detrital, coarse-detrital. Age: Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 72 to 145 million years old. About 11 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Nantucket’s rain goes

Rain that falls on Nantucket runs straight into the Atlantic Ocean.

FROM THE CENTER OF NANTUCKET < 2 mi to the Atlantic Ocean straight to the shore

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Nantucket; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Nantucket’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1948 · Nantucket Memorial Airport, 3 mi southeast

Nantucket has a oceanic climate. Summer afternoons average 76° in August; winter nights fall to about 27° in January. About 41 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

40°27°40°27°44°32°52°39°61°47°69°56°75°63°76°62°70°57°62°49°53°40°45°32° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY NANTUCKET 40.9 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
August, average76° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average40° / 27°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year40.9 inwettest months: October and December
Hottest on record100°FAugust 2, 1975
Coldest on record−3°FFebruary 4, 2023
Wettest day on record6.48 inMay 25, 1967
Snowiest day on record15.5 inDecember 12, 1960
Nights at or below 32°87and 15 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeOceanicKöppen Cfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Nov. 8, to the last in spring, about April 16 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingDec. 15 to March 21; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Nantucket normally reaches 53° and falls to 40°. The record high is 65°, in 2008; the record low 22°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 1.52 in, fell in 1972.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high40°40°44°52°61°69°75°76°70°62°53°45°
Normal low27°27°32°39°47°56°63°62°57°49°40°32°
Rain, inches3.182.843.843.602.983.002.723.003.594.393.793.93
Record high63° (1967)61° (2023)66° (2012)83° (2009)85° (2007)92° (2012)92° (1964)100° (1975)86° (2022)83° (2011)74° (1971)66° (2015)
Record low−3° (2004)−3° (2023)7° (1972)20° (1982)28° (1972)35° (1976)47° (2009)39° (1965)34° (1973)22° (1966)16° (2000)−3° (1962)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1948 at Nantucket Memorial Airport, 3 miles southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Nantucket on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Barnstable Town MA · 29 MI 29 miles northwest Falmouth MA · 33 MI 33 miles northwest Boston MA · 86 MI 86 miles northwest Brookhaven NY · 152 MI 152 miles west Islip NY · 166 MI 166 miles west Oyster Bay NY · 181 MI 181 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Explore the plate
MASSACHUSETTS · NANTUCKET

Nantucket

14,670 people, 30 ft above sea level in Nantucket County.

30 ftElevation
14,670People
46 sq miLand
Clear 43°
ClearDew point 30°
1

Today in Nantucket

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy night 45° 1%
8p mostly cloudy night 44° 1%
11p mostly cloudy night 43° 1%
2a mostly clear night 43° 1%
5a mostly clear night 41° 1%
8a mostly sunny 45° 2%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
40
45
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
50
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
37
51
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
42
54
A
Wed0%
Sunny Sunny
44
56
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
47
56
A
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
57
A
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, FOUR YEARS AGO · NOV. 11, 2022

69°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1948.

2

What Nantucket stands on

Nantucket’s center stands about 30 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 70 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles.

Nantucket, west to east Nantucket30 ftShawkemo Hills90 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center30 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 70 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (70 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceCretaceous sediments
Its ageCretaceous to Late Cretaceous, 72 to 145 million years old
5

Nantucket’s year

Nantucket has a oceanic climate. Summer afternoons average 76° in August; winter nights fall to about 27° in January. About 41 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 40.9 in
August, average76° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average40° / 27° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year40.9 in · wettest months: October and December
Hottest on record100°F · August 2, 1975
Coldest on record−3°F · February 4, 2023
Wettest day on record6.48 in · May 25, 1967
Snowiest day on record15.5 in · December 12, 1960
Nights at or below 32°87 · and 15 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeOceanic · Köppen Cfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Nov. 8, to the last in spring, about April 16 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Dec. 15 to March 21; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Nantucket normally reaches 53° and falls to 40°. The record high is 65°, in 2008; the record low 22°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 1.52 in, fell in 1972.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1948 at Nantucket Memorial Airport, 3 miles southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

< 2 mito the Atlantic Oceanstraight to the shore

Rain that falls on Nantucket runs straight into the Atlantic Ocean.