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

Wellfleet

3,645 people, 40 ft above sea level in Barnstable County.

40 ftElevation, city center
3,645People, 2024 estimate
20 sq miLand area
Sunny 44°
Sunny now Dew point 30° · WNW 9 mph · high 45°
City of Wellfleet River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Wellfleet 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 Wellfleet

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 3:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Provincetown Municipal Airport (KPVC) · 3:56 PM
Sunny
44° Sunny Feels like 39° · high of 45° near 4 PM
WindWNW 9 mphno gusts
Humidity58%rising to 76% by morning
Pressure29.69 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 30° · 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. 130.81 in · 1 dry day
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Barnstable County
NWS Norton and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 4:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 6:28 AM4:20 PM ↓
9 h 52 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
25
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
4p
7p
10p
1a
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7a
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4a
7a
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1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
clear day
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
45°
41°
48°
41°
47°
41°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
10
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HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 30 to 36°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 80° / 62°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
45° 39°
0% rain — WNW 12 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
50° 37°
0% rain — NW 15 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
50° 37°
0% rain — NNW 10 A
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 41°
0% rain — W 9 A
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 45°
0% rain — W 9 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 46°
0% rain — SW 8 A
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
58° 45°
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 Wellfleet about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Canadian Prairies three days ago, and over the Great Lakes a day ago, about 2,270 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 66° in 2005.

66°
70°
20052022
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Chatham Municipal Airport record since 1996.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Wellfleet stands on

Wellfleet’s center stands about 40 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 140 ft, a difference of 140 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Granite, gneiss, and schist, undivided (granite, gneiss, schist), from the Neoproterozoic, 542 to 1,000 million years old.

Wellfleet, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft100 ft WELLFLEET40 ftEastham60 ftHigh point of the line140 ftTruro50 ft ← S · OrleansN →

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

Granite, gneiss, and schist, undivided

Granite, gneiss, schist. Age: Neoproterozoic, 542 to 1,000 million years old. About 19 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 Wellfleet’s rain goes

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

FROM THE CENTER OF WELLFLEET < 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 Wellfleet; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Wellfleet’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1996 · Chatham Municipal Airport, 17 mi south

Wellfleet has a oceanic climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 45 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

39°26°40°26°44°31°52°39°62°48°71°57°79°64°78°64°71°58°61°47°52°39°44°31° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY WELLFLEET 45.2 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Rain by month Freezing
July, average79° / 64°high / low, the warmest month
January, average39° / 26°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year45.2 inwettest months: December and November
Hottest on record99°FJuly 5, 1999
Coldest on record−5°FJanuary 16, 2004
Wettest day on record5.30 inSeptember 9, 2021
90° days a year1on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°92and 16 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeOceanicKöppen Cfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Nov. 6, to the last in spring, about April 11 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingDec. 9 to March 22; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Wellfleet normally reaches 52° and falls to 39°. The record high is 66°, in 2005; the record low 21°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 0.98 in, fell in 2000.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high39°40°44°52°62°71°79°78°71°61°52°44°
Normal low26°26°31°39°48°57°64°64°58°47°39°31°
Rain, inches3.753.614.434.013.342.952.793.033.584.234.475.00

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Chatham Municipal Airport, 17 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Wellfleet on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Barnstable Town MA · 24 MI 24 miles southwest Plymouth MA · 30 MI 30 miles west Boston MA · 59 MI 59 miles northwest Providence RI · 72 MI 72 miles west Worcester MA · 95 MI 95 miles west Springfield MA · 130 MI 130 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Explore the plate
MASSACHUSETTS · BARNSTABLE

Wellfleet

3,645 people, 40 ft above sea level in Barnstable County.

40 ftElevation
3,645People
20 sq miLand
Sunny 44°
SunnyDew point 30°
1

Today in Wellfleet

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy night 45° 1%
7p mostly cloudy night 43° 4%
10p mostly cloudy night 43° 1%
1a partly cloudy night 42° 1%
4a partly cloudy night 42° 1%
7a partly cloudy day 42° 5%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
39
45
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
37
50
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
37
50
A
Tue0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
41
54
A
Wed0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
58
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
46
58
A
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
45
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 Wellfleet stands on

Wellfleet’s center stands about 40 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 140 ft, a difference of 140 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles.

Wellfleet, south to north Wellfleet40 ftHigh point140 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center40 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 140 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (140 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceGranite, gneiss, and schist, undivided
Its ageNeoproterozoic, 542 to 1,000 million years old
5

Wellfleet’s year

Wellfleet has a oceanic climate. Summer afternoons average 79° in July; winter nights fall to about 26° in January. About 45 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 45.2 in
July, average79° / 64° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average39° / 26° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year45.2 in · wettest months: December and November
Hottest on record99°F · July 5, 1999
Coldest on record−5°F · January 16, 2004
Wettest day on record5.30 in · September 9, 2021
90° days a year1 · on average, 1991–2020
Nights at or below 32°92 · and 16 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeOceanic · Köppen Cfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Nov. 6, to the last in spring, about April 11 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Dec. 9 to March 22; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Wellfleet normally reaches 52° and falls to 39°. The record high is 66°, in 2005; the record low 21°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 0.98 in, fell in 2000.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1996 at Chatham Municipal Airport, 17 miles south. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

< 2 mito the Atlantic Oceanstraight to the shore

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