Durham, New Hampshire climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Durham's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 47.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.4°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 27°C, 1,215 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDurham (2 mi N)
- Station IDUSW00054794
- Location43.17°N 70.93°W
- Elevation119 ft (36 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (town)15,270
- Census place10,577
On October 14, the normal high in Durham is 61°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 36%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Durham.
- Jan 32° 15°
- Feb 36° 16°
- Mar 43° 25°
- Apr 55° 34°
- May 66° 44°
- Jun 75° 53°
- Jul 81° 59°
- Aug 80° 57°
- Sep 72° 50°
- Oct 60° 39°
- Nov 48° 30°
- Dec 38° 22°
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 Durham each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.79 in), the least in January (3.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 15°F | 23.6°F | 3.38 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 36°F | 16°F | 25.9°F | 3.52 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 25°F | 33.8°F | 4.39 | 12 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 34°F | 44.6°F | 4.20 | 13 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 66°F | 44°F | 55.0°F | 3.80 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 75°F | 53°F | 64.1°F | 4.28 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 81°F | 59°F | 69.7°F | 3.76 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 57°F | 68.5°F | 3.43 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 50°F | 60.8°F | 3.86 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 39°F | 49.6°F | 4.79 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 30°F | 39.3°F | 3.95 | 11 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 38°F | 22°F | 29.7°F | 4.47 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 37°F | 47.1°F | 47.83 | 140 | 6 | 150 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −10°C | −4.7°C | 86 mm |
| February | 2°C | −9°C | −3.4°C | 89 mm |
| March | 6°C | −4°C | 1.0°C | 112 mm |
| April | 13°C | 1°C | 7.0°C | 107 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 97 mm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 17.8°C | 109 mm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 96 mm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 87 mm |
| September | 22°C | 10°C | 16.0°C | 98 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 9.8°C | 122 mm |
| November | 9°C | −1°C | 4.1°C | 100 mm |
| December | 3°C | −6°C | −1.3°C | 114 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Durham's own co-op station Durham station does: 39 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054794; 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 Durham?
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 USW00054794.
When is the last frost in Durham?
In Durham, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 16 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 27 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 31 year in 10 after May 16; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 158 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Durham in zone 6a in ZIP code 03824. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Durham's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (18 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 USW00054794; 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 Durham?
In a normal year in Durham, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 150 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 140 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 150a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 40high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 140a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2001) is 98°F, on June 24, 2025; the lowest is −17°F, on January 16, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2008, with 65.66 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00054794; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00054794. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Durham?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Durham, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (64%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 1.7 |
| February | 69% | 2.5 |
| March | 69% | 3.6 |
| April | 70% | 4.7 |
| May | 69% | 5.3 |
| June | 70% | 5.6 |
| July | 77% | 5.9 |
| August | 79% | 5.3 |
| September | 78% | 4.3 |
| October | 70% | 2.8 |
| November | 68% | 1.8 |
| December | 64% | 1.4 |
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 Durham need?
A normal year in Durham brings 6,920 heating degree days, 29% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 411 cooling degree days, 55% 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 2,266 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,283 | 0 |
| February | 1,093 | 0 |
| March | 966 | 0 |
| April | 613 | 1 |
| May | 322 | 12 |
| June | 93 | 66 |
| July | 13 | 160 |
| August | 23 | 132 |
| September | 165 | 38 |
| October | 481 | 2 |
| November | 773 | 0 |
| December | 1,094 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,920 | 411 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00054794. 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 Durham been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 47.5°F, 0.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 47.1°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 48.7°F | +1.6°F | 46.23 |
| 2023 | 49.6°F | +2.5°F | 61.74 |
| 2024 | 49.7°F | +2.6°F | 44.20 |
| 2025 | 47.5°F | +0.4°F | 38.36 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00054794. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Durham's climate compare?
Durham is warmer than 19 of the other 27 places with their own NOAA record in New Hampshire, and wetter than 23. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.1°F is warmer than 28%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Durham 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 Durham share this climate record?
3 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.
- Dover, NH33,909 people · 2 mi NE
- Newmarket, NH9,528 people · 7 mi S
- South Eliot, ME4,021 people · 7 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Durham's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Durham. This page uses Durham (2 mi N); the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham (2 mi SSW) USW00054795 | 3 mi SW | 63 ft | 46.9°F | 14°F | 81°F | 47.0 | – | May 7 |
| Durham station USC00272174 | 1 mi W | 75 ft | 47.6°F | 14°F | 83°F | 45.4 | 39 | May 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Durham's climate
What is the coldest month in Durham?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Durham?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Durham's NOAA station; Durham's own co-op station Durham station records 39 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Durham?
October, with 4.79 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 3.38 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Durham in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Durham in zone 6a in ZIP code 03824. By the same method at Durham's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Durham?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 16. Waiting until May 16 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
- Rochester, NH7 miles from this station, 47.7°F a year
- Greenland, NH12 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Epping, NH12 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Cape Neddick, ME15 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made