Bradford, New Hampshire climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bradford's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 49.5 inches of precipitation and 68 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.3°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,257 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBradford 2
- Station IDUSC00270913
- Location43.26°N 72.00°W
- Elevation815 ft (248 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (town)1,722
- Census place399
On October 23, the normal high in Bradford is 55°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bradford.
- Jan 30° 12°
- Feb 33° 13°
- Mar 41° 21°
- Apr 54° 32°
- May 66° 43°
- Jun 75° 52°
- Jul 80° 57°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 58° 37°
- Nov 46° 28°
- Dec 35° 19°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Bradford each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in October (5.53 in), the least in February (3.13 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 12°F | 20.9°F | 3.38 | 16.5 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 33°F | 13°F | 22.8°F | 3.13 | 18.8 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 21°F | 31.1°F | 3.84 | 11.8 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 32°F | 43.2°F | 4.24 | 3.3 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 66°F | 43°F | 54.7°F | 3.83 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 75°F | 52°F | 63.4°F | 4.50 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 80°F | 57°F | 68.4°F | 4.35 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.3°F | 4.00 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 71°F | 47°F | 59.1°F | 4.13 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 58°F | 37°F | 47.2°F | 5.53 | 1.0 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 28°F | 37.0°F | 4.16 | 2.1 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 19°F | 27.3°F | 4.39 | 14.4 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 35°F | 45.1°F | 49.48 | 68.0 | 126 | 3 | 176 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −11°C | −6.2°C | 86 mm | 42 cm |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.1°C | 80 mm | 48 cm |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.5°C | 98 mm | 30 cm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.2°C | 108 mm | 8 cm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.6°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 13°C | 19.1°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 15.1°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.4°C | 140 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C | 106 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 2°C | −7°C | −2.6°C | 112 mm | 37 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00270913; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Bradford?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00270913.
When is the last frost in Bradford?
In Bradford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 15 in half of years and after May 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 27 in half of years and before September 15 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 May 29; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 271 year in 10 before September 15; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 135 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 158 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bradford in zone 5b in ZIP code 03221, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Bradford's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (16 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 USC00270913; 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 in Bradford?
In a normal year in Bradford, 3 days a year reach 90°F, 176 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 126 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 176a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 51high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 126a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00270913.
How sunny is Bradford?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bradford, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (76%) and December the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.6 |
| February | 67% | 2.5 |
| March | 68% | 3.7 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 67% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 75% | 5.8 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.2 |
| October | 64% | 2.6 |
| November | 64% | 1.7 |
| December | 57% | 1.2 |
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 much heating and cooling does Bradford need?
A normal year in Bradford brings 7,543 heating degree days, 40% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 320 cooling degree days, 65% 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 2,054 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,367 | 0 |
| February | 1,183 | 0 |
| March | 1,052 | 0 |
| April | 655 | 1 |
| May | 332 | 11 |
| June | 110 | 60 |
| July | 24 | 128 |
| August | 48 | 87 |
| September | 210 | 32 |
| October | 552 | 1 |
| November | 840 | 0 |
| December | 1,170 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,543 | 320 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00270913. 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.
Has Bradford been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 49.2°F, 4.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.1°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 47.7°F | +2.6°F | 48.13 | 58.0 |
| 2023 | 48.8°F | +3.7°F | 61.74 | – |
| 2024 | 49.2°F | +4.1°F | 44.24 | 82.4 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00270913. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bradford's climate compare?
Bradford is warmer than 9 of the other 27 places with their own NOAA record in New Hampshire, and wetter than 24. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.1°F is warmer than 20%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bradford 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.
Questions about Bradford's climate
What is the coldest month in Bradford?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Bradford?
Yes: 68 inches in a normal year, falling on 23 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (18.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Bradford?
October, with 5.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.13 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bradford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bradford in zone 5b in ZIP code 03221, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Bradford's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Bradford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 15; in one year in ten it comes after May 29. Waiting until May 29 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
- Mount Sunapee, NH6 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Newport, NH12 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Hopkinton Lake, NH14 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Salisbury, NH15 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made