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

Orange

3,636 people, 520 ft above sea level in Franklin County.

520 ftElevation, city center
3,636People, 2024 estimate
6 sq miLand area
Clear 37°
Clear now Dew point 29° · W 14 mph · high 36°
City of Orange River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Orange 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 Orange

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 6:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Worcester Regional Airport (KORH) · 5:54 PM
Clear
37° Clear Feels like 28° · high of 36° near 6 PM
WindW 14 mphgusts 22
Humidity72%rising to 82% by morning
Pressure29.72 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 29° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 120.11 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Franklin County
NWS Norton and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:46 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:39 AM4:28 PM ↓
9 h 48 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
18
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
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
mostly clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
clear night
TEMPERATURE °F
36°
32°
43°
31°
45°
30°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
9
9
10
12
12
13
13
10
9
9
9
9
9
10
9
6
7
6
7
7
8
8
9
7
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 22 to 31°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 48° / 33°
SAT Nov. 14 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
36° 32°
0% rain — W 9 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
44° 31°
0% rain — NW 13 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
47° 30°
0% rain — NW 9 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
52° 39°
0% rain — W 10 A
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
57° 39°
0% rain — W 9 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 41°
0% rain — WSW 8 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 40°
0% rain — WNW 7 B
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 Orange about 5,000 feet above the ground was over Canada three days ago, and over the Great Lakes a day ago, about 2,370 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from the Canadian Prairies; at 10,000 feet, from British Columbia. It feels dry all the same. 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. 12, 2022

The hottest this week has been

70° on Nov. 12, 2022, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1996. Next is 69° in 2020.

69°
70°
20202022
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Orange Municipal Airport record since 1996.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Orange stands on

Orange’s center stands about 520 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 510 ft to 1,120 ft, a difference of 610 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Little Monadnock Mountain, about 1,880 ft, 15 miles north-northeast.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Monson Gneiss (gneiss, amphibolite), from the Late Ordovician to Silurian, 440 to 454 million years old.

The section below crosses 11 rock units mapped at the surface.

Gill to Templeton, cut in half

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
500 ft1,000 ft ORANGE520 ftConnecticut Riverabout 180 ftErving1,110 ftMillers Riverabout 510 ftAthol870 ftPhillipston1,110 ft ← NW · GillTempleton · SE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 16×. 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

Littleton Formation

Schist, phyllite. Age: Early Devonian, 394 to 422 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Hardwick Tonalite

Gneiss. Age: Early Devonian, 394 to 422 million years old. About 4 mi of the line.

Monson Gneiss

Gneiss, amphibolite. Age: Late Ordovician to Silurian, 440 to 454 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Dry Hill Gneiss

Gneiss. Age: Neoproterozoic, 610 to 616 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Partridge Formation (includes Brimfield Schist of Emerson, 1917)

Mica-schist. Age: Late Ordovician, 449 to 453 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

Fourmile Gneiss

Biotite-gneiss, amphibolite. Age: Late Ordovician to Silurian, 440 to 454 million years old. About 3 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale. 5 smaller units along the line are not listed.

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 Orange’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Orange reaches Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Millers and the Connecticut: about 140 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Orange≈ 140 mi · Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean
FROM THE CENTER OF ORANGE ≈ 140 mi to Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean Millers → Connecticut

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

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Orange’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1996 · Orange Municipal Airport

Orange has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 14° in January. About 42 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

33°14°37°16°45°24°59°34°70°45°79°55°84°60°82°59°74°50°62°39°49°29°39°21° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY ORANGE 42.2 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average84° / 60°high / low, the warmest month
January, average33° / 14°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year42.2 inwettest months: September and October
Hottest on record100°FJuly 1, 2018
Coldest on record−24°FJanuary 24, 2011
Wettest day on record5.56 inOctober 8, 2005
90° days a year10very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°160and 37 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 6, to the last in spring, about May 13 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingNov. 5 to April 10; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Orange normally reaches 50° and falls to 30°. The record high is 62°, in 2011; the record low 12°, in 1996. The most rain on this date, 0.79 in, fell in 2009.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high33°37°45°59°70°79°84°82°74°62°49°39°
Normal low14°16°24°34°45°55°60°59°50°39°29°21°
Rain, inches2.712.343.383.443.244.143.763.874.294.223.373.40

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Orange Municipal Airport, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Orange on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Worcester MA · 34 MI 34 miles southeast Springfield MA · 36 MI 36 miles south Boston MA · 68 MI 68 miles east Brookhaven NY · 126 MI 126 miles south Islip NY · 139 MI 139 miles south Oyster Bay NY · 140 MI 140 miles southwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Orange, Massachusetts. Explore the plate
MASSACHUSETTS · FRANKLIN

Orange

3,636 people, 520 ft above sea level in Franklin County.

520 ftElevation
3,636People
6 sq miLand
Clear 37°
ClearDew point 29°
1

Today in Orange

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy night 36° 0%
9p mostly cloudy night 34° 4%
12a partly cloudy night 33° 2%
3a mostly clear night 33° 1%
6a mostly clear night 32° 1%
9a clear day 39° 1%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
32
36
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
31
44
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
30
47
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
52
A
Wed0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
39
57
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
58
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
40
58
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, FOUR YEARS AGO · NOV. 12, 2022

70°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1996.

2

What Orange stands on

Orange’s center stands about 520 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 510 ft to 1,120 ft, a difference of 610 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Little Monadnock Mountain, about 1,880 ft, 15 miles north-northeast.

Orange, northwest to southeast Orange520 ftConnecticut Riverabout 180 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 31×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center520 ft
Within 3 miles510 to 1,120 ft
Lie of the landHilly (610 ft of relief)
High point nearbyLittle Monadnock Mountain, 1,880 ft, 15 mi north-northeast
Rock at the surfaceMonson Gneiss
Its ageLate Ordovician to Silurian, 440 to 454 million years old
5

Orange’s year

Orange has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 84° in July; winter nights fall to about 14° in January. About 42 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 42.2 in
July, average84° / 60° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average33° / 14° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year42.2 in · wettest months: September and October
Hottest on record100°F · July 1, 2018
Coldest on record−24°F · January 24, 2011
Wettest day on record5.56 in · October 8, 2005
90° days a year10 · very few reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°160 · and 37 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 6, to the last in spring, about May 13 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Nov. 5 to April 10; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Orange normally reaches 50° and falls to 30°. The record high is 62°, in 2011; the record low 12°, in 1996. The most rain on this date, 0.79 in, fell in 2009.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Orange Municipal Airport, here. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 140 mito the AtlanticMillers → Connecticut

A raindrop that lands in Orange reaches Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Millers and the Connecticut: about 140 river miles.