New Hampshire Climate
Top 5 Cities: Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Dover, and Rochester
This month in numbers
March 2026 saw New Hampshire's average temperature rank as the 11th warmest March on record, at 0.56°C, a significant 2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also reflected this trend, ranking 11th warmest at 6.61°C, 2.2°C above average. Globally, March 2026 tied with 2024 as the 2nd warmest March on record for land temperatures, at 1.31°C above the 20th-century average.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the January–March 2026 period in New Hampshire was notably dry, ranking as the 73rd driest on record for precipitation, with a deficit of 24.3 mm compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This places it in the bottom 5 for this three-month period. This dry trend has contributed to persistent drought conditions across the state, with 78% of New Hampshire currently experiencing moderate to severe drought. This is a stark contrast to the national picture, where the contiguous U.S. experienced its warmest March on record, with an average temperature 9.35°F above the 20th-century average. New Hampshire's 3-month anomaly of +0.63°C places it 219th out of 234 regions globally, indicating it was among the cooler regions compared to its long-term average.
What’s driving change?
The persistent drought conditions in New Hampshire are a significant concern, with the January–March period being the sixth driest first quarter on record for the state. This dryness has led to elevated wildfire risk as the spring wildfire season approaches. The state has also experienced an unusual concentration of drought events, with two events logged in the past 12 months, representing 100% of the annual total. Similarly, a flood event in April 2026 also represents 100% of the annual total for floods in the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of both types of events. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, but forecasts indicate a likely transition to El Niño in the coming months, with a 79% probability for June-July-August. ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The long-term forecast from the weather service suggests that drought conditions are expected to continue in New Hampshire at least through May, and potentially into June.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for New Hampshire
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in New Hampshire changing?
New Hampshire is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for New Hampshire come from?
Climate data for New Hampshire comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the New Hampshire climate data cover?
The New Hampshire climate profile covers Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Dover and surrounding areas. New Hampshire climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the New Hampshire climate update refreshed?
The New Hampshire climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.