Climate and average weather in Manchester

In Manchester, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: mid May to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Manchester typically varies from 17°F to 82°F, and is rarely below -1°F or above 92°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Manchester for warm-weather activities is from mid May to early October.

Hottest
Jul
82°
Coldest
Jan
17°
Wettest
Dec
4.1 in
Driest
Feb
3.0 in
Rain / yr
42.3 in
119 wet days
Daylight
8.8–15.2 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
262 ft
43.0°N
Clearest
Sep
55% cloud

Manchester is city in Hillsborough County in southern New Hampshire, United States.

Density
1,218/km²
people per km²
Founded
1722

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Manchester weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Manchester, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.0 months, from May 25 to September 22, with daily high temperatures above 69°F. The hottest month of the year in Manchester is July, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F.

The cool season lasts 3.3 months, from December 3 to March 12, with daily high temperatures below 41°F. The coldest month of the year in Manchester is January, with an average low of 17°F and high of 32°F.

Days typically run about 17°F warmer than nights year-round.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3217
Feb3518
Mar4327
Apr5638
May6748
Jun7657
Jul8263
Aug8061
Sep7253
Oct6042
Nov4833
Dec3723

How hot and cold Manchester really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 5°F (around January 20), with roughly 166 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 80 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan3232717
Feb3535818
Mar43431827
Apr56563238
May67674548
Jun76765757
Jul82826363
Aug80806161
Sep72725353
Oct60603842
Nov48482633
Dec37371423

Average hourly temperature in Manchester

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 82°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 17°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Manchester weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 17°3.19.46.79.20.0
Feb35° / 18°3.08.76.410.20.0
Mar43° / 27°3.910.75.711.60.6
Apr56° / 38°3.710.51.713.13.6
May67° / 48°3.110.60.114.45.9
Jun76° / 57°3.611.6015.16.4
Jul82° / 63°3.510.4014.86.2
Aug80° / 61°3.49.7013.86.6
Sep72° / 53°3.48.4012.36.9
Oct60° / 42°4.09.40.410.84.8
Nov48° / 33°3.49.41.79.51.7
Dec37° / 23°4.110.25.98.90.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Manchester gets about 42.3 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Feb 23 to Aug 13, peaking in June at about 38% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 31.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 4.1 in over about 10 wet days; February is the driest, with 3.0 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJun 22 · 38%Aug 31 · 25%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan309
Feb319
Mar3411
Apr3511
May3411
Jun3712
Jul3510
Aug3110
Sep288
Oct309
Nov329
Dec3310

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Manchester collects about 42.3 in of rain across 119 wet days — roughly 3.5 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 4.1 in, while February is the driest at just 3.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 28% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

012345JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.13.03.93.73.13.63.53.43.44.03.44.1
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.197
Feb3.096
Mar3.9116
Apr3.7112
May3.1110
Jun3.6120
Jul3.5100
Aug3.4100
Sep3.480
Oct4.090
Nov3.492
Dec4.1106

Snow in Manchester

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Manchester averages about 29 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 22 to May 1 — about 6.3 months.

February is snowiest, with roughly 7 days of snow and an estimated 20 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 82 in of snow.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonFeb 17
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan718
Feb620
Mar618
Apr23
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov24
Dec619

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Manchester, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around June 30 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around November 28. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 53% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 18 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around June 29. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 28 · 55%May 10 · 36%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan4951
Feb4654
Mar4060
Apr3862
May3862
Jun4258
Jul5050
Aug5248
Sep5347
Oct4951
Nov4753
Dec4555

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 16, brings about 15 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 8 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.27:204:30
Feb10.26:535:08
Mar11.66:065:45
Apr13.15:116:21
May14.44:286:56
Jun15.14:117:21
Jul14.84:257:18
Aug13.84:576:43
Sep12.35:315:49
Oct10.86:074:55
Nov9.56:464:16
Dec8.97:174:07

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Manchester averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 3.4 months, from around Aug 17 to Nov 26. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 11 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is May, down near 7 sunny days — about 37% fewer than the October peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedOct 612 daysMay 167 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan10Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar8Mixed
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun8Gloomy
Jul8Mixed
Aug10Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct11Mixed
Nov10Mixed
Dec9Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Manchester, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around June 4 to September 26. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 50% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 27 to June 3, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 4 · 100%Jul 24 · 44%muggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar1000000
Apr982000
May879300
Jun54211681
Jul252429183
Aug282825162
Sep60191470
Oct916210
Nov991000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Manchester is typically calm, near 7 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Oct 13 to Apr 30. The windiest month is March, averaging about 8 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 1 to Oct 12, with August the calmest month at about 6 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyMar 4 · 8 mphAug 6 · 6 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan8light breeze
Feb8light breeze
Mar8light breeze
Apr7calm
May7calm
Jun6calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep6calm
Oct7calm
Nov7calm
Dec8light breeze

Hazard calendar for Manchester

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Manchester sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Manchester

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Manchester throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Manchester is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Manchester for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 5 · 7.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.7poor
Apr3.6fair
May5.9good
Jun6.4good
Jul6.2good
Aug6.6good
Sep6.9good
Oct4.8fair
Nov1.7poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Manchester for hot-weather activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 25 · 6.7

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Manchester, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 82°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 32°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Manchester sees daytime highs around 82°F and nights near 63°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Manchester

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 43 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 39°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index (midday) in Manchester by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Manchester peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Manchester

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 3.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun83.5
Jul7.53.5
Aug5.50
Sep5.50
Oct1.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Manchester by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Manchester is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Manchester typically lasts about 232 days, from around March 30 to November 16 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 23 to October 16.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1410%Mar 3050%Apr 2390%Oct 1690%Nov 1650%Jan 2010%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1131
Feb1228
Mar3031
Apr7920
May990
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep990
Oct8914
Nov5330
Dec2031

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Manchester banks about 2,508 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr7
May221
Jun507
Jul692
Aug636
Sep383
Oct63
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Manchester receives about 3.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.5 and 6.0 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 14 to Sep 21. The brightest month is July, averaging about 5.8 kWh/m² (bright).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 73% less than the July peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 26.0 kWhDec 171.5 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.0Dim
Feb2.9Moderate
Mar3.9Moderate
Apr4.8Bright
May5.4Bright
Jun5.8Bright
Jul5.9Bright
Aug5.2Bright
Sep4.1Bright
Oct2.8Moderate
Nov1.9Dim
Dec1.6Dim

Where is Manchester?

Manchester sits at 43.0°N, 71.5°W, 262 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bedford, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Manchester

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Manchester.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Manchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 ft around an average of 295 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,237 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,176 ft.

The land around Manchester is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, trees (81%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
459 ft
10 miles
1,237 ft
50 miles
3,176 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Nearby: Bedford 4.3 mi · Merrimack 9.3 mi · Derry Village 9.9 mi · Derry 9.9 mi · Concord 16 mi · Nashua 16 mi · East Concord 17 mi · Salem 19 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Manchester (42.9956°, -71.4548°, elevation 262 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).