Mount Washington, New Hampshire climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Mount Washington's normal year runs from −3°F January nights to 55°F July afternoons, with 91.2 inches of precipitation and 282 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.2°C, January lows of −20°C, July highs of 13°C, 2,317 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMount Washington
- Station IDUSW00014755
- Location44.27°N 71.30°W
- Elevation6,267 ft (1,910 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Mount Washington is 36°F and the normal low 22°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 60%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mount Washington.
- Jan 15° -3°
- Feb 15° -3°
- Mar 21° 5°
- Apr 31° 17°
- May 43° 30°
- Jun 51° 40°
- Jul 55° 45°
- Aug 54° 43°
- Sep 49° 37°
- Oct 38° 25°
- Nov 28° 13°
- Dec 20° 4°
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 Mount Washington each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 55°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −3°F. The most precipitation falls in October (9.99 in), the least in February (5.45 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°F | −3°F | 5.8°F | 5.74 | 41.4 | 20 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 15°F | −3°F | 5.9°F | 5.45 | 43.3 | 18 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 21°F | 5°F | 12.9°F | 6.72 | 46.2 | 20 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 31°F | 17°F | 23.7°F | 7.31 | 33.1 | 18 | <1 | 28 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 43°F | 30°F | 36.3°F | 7.68 | 12.9 | 17 | <1 | 19 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 51°F | 40°F | 45.5°F | 8.59 | 1.3 | 18 | <1 | 5 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 55°F | 45°F | 49.9°F | 8.93 | 0.0 | 18 | <1 | 1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 54°F | 43°F | 48.7°F | 7.72 | 0.1 | 16 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 49°F | 37°F | 43.1°F | 7.66 | 1.2 | 14 | <1 | 9 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 38°F | 25°F | 31.3°F | 9.99 | 19.0 | 18 | <1 | 23 | 11 h |
| November | 28°F | 13°F | 20.8°F | 8.09 | 35.6 | 19 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 20°F | 4°F | 11.8°F | 7.35 | 47.7 | 21 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 35°F | 21°F | 28.0°F | 91.23 | 281.8 | 216 | <1 | 233 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −20°C | −14.6°C | 146 mm | 105 cm |
| February | −10°C | −19°C | −14.5°C | 138 mm | 110 cm |
| March | −6°C | −15°C | −10.6°C | 171 mm | 117 cm |
| April | −1°C | −8°C | −4.6°C | 186 mm | 84 cm |
| May | 6°C | −1°C | 2.4°C | 195 mm | 33 cm |
| June | 11°C | 4°C | 7.5°C | 218 mm | 3 cm |
| July | 13°C | 7°C | 9.9°C | 227 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 12°C | 6°C | 9.3°C | 196 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 10°C | 3°C | 6.2°C | 195 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 3°C | −4°C | −0.4°C | 254 mm | 48 cm |
| November | −2°C | −10°C | −6.2°C | 205 mm | 90 cm |
| December | −7°C | −16°C | −11.2°C | 187 mm | 121 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014755; 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 Mount Washington?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Mount Washington: the warmest is July at 55°F.
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 USW00014755.
How hot and how cold does it get at Mount Washington?
In a normal year in Mount Washington, a 90°F day is rare, 233 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 216 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 233a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 159high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 216a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 74a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 72°F, on June 26, 2003; the lowest is −47°F, on February 4, 2023.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1972, with 121.61 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 566.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014755; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014755. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Mount Washington?
Over a year 66% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Mount Washington, 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 Mount Washington record?
A normal year at Mount Washington brings 13,469 heating degree days, 2.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Twelve months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 181 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,834 | 0 |
| February | 1,655 | 0 |
| March | 1,617 | 0 |
| April | 1,239 | 0 |
| May | 888 | 0 |
| June | 585 | 0 |
| July | 468 | 0 |
| August | 505 | 0 |
| September | 657 | 0 |
| October | 1,045 | 0 |
| November | 1,328 | 0 |
| December | 1,649 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,469 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014755. 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.
Have recent years at Mount Washington been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 31.4°F, 3.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 28.0°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29.6°F | +1.6°F | 77.41 | 222.5 |
| 2022 | 29.3°F | +1.3°F | 94.00 | 236.7 |
| 2023 | 30.4°F | +2.4°F | 113.76 | 266.1 |
| 2024 | 31.4°F | +3.4°F | 94.94 | 332.8 |
Over 92 complete years from 1933 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.8°F per century (+0.16°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014755; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Mount Washington's climate compare?
Mount Washington is warmer than 0 of the 28 places with their own NOAA record in New Hampshire, and wetter than 28. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 28.0°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mount Washington is ET: tundra. 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 Mount Washington's climate
What is the coldest month at Mount Washington?
January, with a normal high of 15°F and a normal low of −3°F. The warmest is July (55°F by day, 45°F at night).
Does it snow at Mount Washington?
Yes: 282 inches in a normal year, falling on 124 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (47.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Mount Washington?
October, with 9.99 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 5.45 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mount Washington in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mount Washington in zone 5a in ZIP code 03593, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −32°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
Nearby and next
- Mount Washington in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- New Hampshire climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Pinkham Notch, NH2 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Gorham, NH10 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Whitefield, NH14 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Jefferson, NH14 miles from this station, 42.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made