My husband and I are planning a trip to Montreal and Quebec for the first two weeks in August and are considering adding Bar Harbor and/or Boston to the itinerary (we've never been to Bar Harbor and have only been to Boston for very short trips on business). Can someone tell me what the weather is typically like in Boston and Bar Harbor (and in areas in between) in early August? Is it unbearably warm and humid?

I checked averages for both areas and they both show highs of 78-80 degrees and lows of 58-64 degrees in august, which sounds quite pleasant. is there something i'm missing?

Boston can be unbearably hot and humid or quite nice. If it is hot and humid you will late evening thunderstorms.

No one in Boston seems able to predict the weather 12-24 hours out, so this is only a guess and if you check closer to time of trip it will still be just a guess and likely wrong.

If you don't like hot and humdi and have the time, go to Bar Harbor and take the ferry to Nova Scotia.

We went to Boston last August. I'm from Seattle where humidity only applies when it's falling from the sky.

It was pretty miserable. Approx. 90 degrees each day with 90% humidity. I remember doing the redline tour at 10 am and have sweat drip down my back.

We got to see a spectacular thunder/lightning storm. Actually felt more like we were in it.

The City is wonderful, but next time I'll go back in the spring or fall.

There is no "typical" weather for Boston and Bar Harbor in June and July. (Or for Montreal and Quebec City either...).

Some years, some days/weeks in August, I have the heat on in my car driving home from work and you need a sweater while out and about evenings.

We tend to have "hot spells". Sometimes a few days, or a few weeks, once in a while (seems like) the entire summer. Other years, summer never really comes...You just never can tell.

Statistically, the last two weeks of July and the first week in August are the hottest of the year in Boston, but everyone is right about not being able to predict the weather. If the wind comes off the water, it will be cool. If it comes from the land, it will be hot. When I worked in Newton and lived on the Waterfront, there was often a 10-20 degree difference between the office and home.

Not to mention that Bar Harbor will likely be much cooler than Boston. When I was there in August I needed a sweater and long pants every evening and morning, but the days hit 75-80 degrees.

Cities are always hotter. All that asphalt and buildings to block the breeze.

The one constant about Boston weather is its variability. Both storm and fair weather systems tend to track through New England. If you're there for several days, you have a decent chance of seeing every type of weather the previous posters mentioned. Go! Boston is a wonderful place to visit.

We NE are telling the truth..there is no predicability here in Boston... It is 5/3 and I have my heat on in my home..it's so raw out..But come anyhow there is much to see and do.

Indeed, ParrotMom tells the truth -- it's nearly noon and 46 degreees, but the forecast high for Friday is mid-70s.

Early August can be the most miserable part of the summer, but by mid-August the evenings have started to cool down, and the weather improves greatly, on average. There are some years with multiple days in the mid-90s, and there have been recent years when the temperature never went above 90.

Cities are not always hotter. As was mentioned above, the ocean keeps everything more temperate in Boston and on the Cape. Especially with an onshore breeze, the city of Boston can be 15 or 20 degrees cooler than suburbs 20 miles inland.

bar harbor will be hot from late morning to mid afternoon unless there is fog or an breeze off the ocean. things begin to cool down considerably, and sweaters/pants are needed by evening unless it is one of the few (not rare, just infrequent) evenings where heat and humidity manage to persist all evening. will always be a bit cool early mornings.

being near water -- the off shore breezes can make a hot day feel cool. windbreakers will be de riguer, as will socks. if you like late evening strolls, a favorite pastime of mine in the summer, you could even need a fleece jacket. when vacationing on waterfronts in new england summers, be they lakes, the ocean, or a sizeable river, we always end up with a fire in the fireplace for all the late-nite chit chat.

corwin