Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington D.C.:

From sure snow in the winter to occasionally fierce summer heat, the northeast of the USA enjoys a varied climate.

A westerly wind feeds in bitter cold for the interior of North America in winter, with frequent snow, and huge east coast storms known as Nor’easters, which can bring blizzards, ice storms and flooding rains. Around the Great Lakes, the “lake effect” can introduce bands of heavy snowfall.

The spring shifts the weather quickly, with average temperatures climbing by five degrees each month. There are more days of rain towards the end of spring, on average every other day, but the showers are quick to clear.

The summer can be very warm and humid, and temperatures soar up into the high 20s or above. It’s a perfect time to cool off at the coast, with Massachusetts’ Cape Cod a popular and iconic destination. The ocean temperature peaks at around 20 degrees, and day trippers can sail to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket in an hour. It’s a little cooler further north in Maine, but even this close to the Canadian border summer daytime temperatures average around 25ºC. Beware though, there are occasional intrusions of much cooler air from Canada across New England, even in the middle of summer.

Washington D.C. can be particularly hot and humid in July and August, and mosquitoes in the millions, and thus spring is considered one of the best times to visit the nation’s capital, particularly for the iconic National Cherry Blossom Festival. The humidity wanes in early autumn, and colourful fall foliage is particularly abundant outside of the Beltway but also frames the monuments around the national mall.

In fact, September and October are arguably one of the best times to visit the whole of the Northeast of the US, with New England’s show-stopping “The Fall”, a must-see. The peak explosion of leaf colour is usually around the beginning of October, starting in Maine and New Hampshire and working south to Connecticut. Pack layers for daytime highs of around 10ºC, and cool nights. “Fall” also means the grape harvest in southern New England, which has a similar sunny climate to parts of France.