Benton (5 mi SW), New Hampshire climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Benton (5 mi SW)'s normal year runs from 7°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 41.3 inches of precipitation and 71 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.9°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 25°C, 1,048 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBenton (5 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00270681
- Location44.03°N 71.95°W
- Elevation1,200 ft (366 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Benton (5 mi SW) is 53°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 40%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Benton (5 mi SW).
- Jan 26° 7°
- Feb 29° 9°
- Mar 38° 18°
- Apr 52° 30°
- May 64° 42°
- Jun 73° 51°
- Jul 77° 56°
- Aug 76° 54°
- Sep 69° 46°
- Oct 56° 35°
- Nov 43° 26°
- Dec 32° 15°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Benton (5 mi SW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 7°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.54 in), the least in February (2.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 7°F | 16.9°F | 2.40 | 17.4 | 12 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 29°F | 9°F | 19.0°F | 2.11 | 14.4 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 38°F | 18°F | 27.8°F | 2.75 | 14.2 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 30°F | 40.8°F | 3.25 | 2.9 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 64°F | 42°F | 53.0°F | 3.45 | 0.1 | 13 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 73°F | 51°F | 61.5°F | 3.84 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 77°F | 56°F | 66.5°F | 4.42 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 76°F | 54°F | 64.8°F | 4.36 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 69°F | 46°F | 57.2°F | 3.52 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 35°F | 45.3°F | 4.54 | 1.2 | 13 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 43°F | 26°F | 34.4°F | 3.46 | 3.6 | 11 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 32°F | 15°F | 23.7°F | 3.15 | 17.6 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 32°F | 42.6°F | 41.25 | 71.4 | 142 | 1 | 173 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −14°C | −8.4°C | 61 mm | 44 cm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.2°C | 54 mm | 37 cm |
| March | 3°C | −8°C | −2.3°C | 70 mm | 36 cm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 4.9°C | 83 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.7°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 23°C | 10°C | 16.4°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 12°C | 18.2°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 8°C | 14.0°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.4°C | 115 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.3°C | 88 mm | 9 cm |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.6°C | 80 mm | 45 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00270681; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Benton (5 mi SW)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (11).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00270681.
When is the last frost at Benton (5 mi SW)?
In Benton (5 mi SW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 15 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 12 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 151 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 133 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 159 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Benton (5 mi SW) in zone 5a in ZIP code 03780, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New Hampshire · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00270681; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Benton (5 mi SW)?
In a normal year in Benton (5 mi SW), 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 173 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 142 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 173a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 69high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 142a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 25a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1965) is 95°F, on July 15, 1995; the lowest is −29°F, on January 27, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2008, with 51.24 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 123.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00270681; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00270681. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Benton (5 mi SW)?
Over a year 66% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Benton (5 mi SW), 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (73%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 59% | 1.4 |
| February | 62% | 2.3 |
| March | 65% | 3.5 |
| April | 64% | 4.4 |
| May | 64% | 5.1 |
| June | 67% | 5.5 |
| July | 71% | 5.6 |
| August | 73% | 5.0 |
| September | 73% | 4.0 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 59% | 1.6 |
| December | 54% | 1.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Benton (5 mi SW) record?
A normal year at Benton (5 mi SW) brings 8,364 heating degree days, 56% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 226 cooling degree days, 75% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,791 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,491 | 0 |
| February | 1,287 | 0 |
| March | 1,153 | 0 |
| April | 727 | 1 |
| May | 378 | 8 |
| June | 145 | 40 |
| July | 46 | 93 |
| August | 75 | 67 |
| September | 253 | 18 |
| October | 611 | 0 |
| November | 918 | 0 |
| December | 1,280 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,364 | 226 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00270681. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Benton (5 mi SW)'s climate compare?
Benton (5 mi SW) is warmer than 5 of the 28 places with their own NOAA record in New Hampshire, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.6°F is warmer than 11%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Benton (5 mi SW) is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Benton (5 mi SW) share this climate record?
6 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Bradford, VT2,844 people · 9 mi W
- North Haverhill, NH740 people · 6 mi NW
- Groton, VT986 people · 18 mi NW
- Mountain Lakes, NH500 people · 6 mi N
- Newbury, VT459 people · 6 mi NW
- Wells River, VT452 people · 10 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Benton (5 mi SW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Benton (5 mi SW)?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 7°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow at Benton (5 mi SW)?
Yes: 71 inches in a normal year, falling on 52 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (17.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Benton (5 mi SW)?
October, with 4.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Benton (5 mi SW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Benton (5 mi SW) in zone 5a in ZIP code 03780, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at Benton (5 mi SW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 15; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- New Hampshire climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Wentworth, NH12 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Lincoln, NH14 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Corinth, VT19 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Waterville Valley Nepp, NH22 miles from this station, 41.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made