Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Littleton
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 80°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 91% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 24, with the first autumn frost due around September 18.
A year in Littleton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Littleton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Littleton’s place in New Hampshire beside it.
What a year in Littleton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 116 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bethlehem 2, NH, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Littleton’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 68 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gilman, VT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 161 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Littleton
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bethlehem 2, NH.
Living with Littleton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
116 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 90 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Littleton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Littleton and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Littleton in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Littleton’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littleton, NH | 6° | 80° | 40" | 68" |
| Canton, NY | 8° | 80° | 39" | 77" |
| Old Town, ME | 9° | 80° | 43" | 75" |
| Stewartville, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 53" |
| Kronenwetter, WI | 6° | 80° | 34" | 64" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Littleton averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 60% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Littleton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Littleton’s place among New Hampshire’s.
Littleton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Littleton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gilman, VT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 6° | 2.5" | 15.2" | 14 | 5° – 25° |
| February | 31° | 7° | 2.1" | 15.9" | 11 | 5° – 26° |
| March | 40° | 17° | 2.5" | 11.1" | 11 | 18° – 37° |
| April | 54° | 29° | 3.1" | 2.6" | 13 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 14 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 60° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 63° – 71° |
| August | 78° | 53° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 63° – 69° |
| September | 71° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 57° | 35° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 15 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 44° | 26° | 2.9" | 4.1" | 14 | 29° – 41° |
| December | 32° | 15° | 3.1" | 18.3" | 15 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 55° | 31° | 40.0" | 67.7" | 161 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Littleton’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Littleton’s center.
- Snow: Gilman, VT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bethlehem 2, NH, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Littleton’s climate
What is the weather like in Littleton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 68 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Littleton in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 34 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 5°.
How much snow does Littleton get?
About 68 inches in a normal winter at Gilman, VT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Littleton?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 55°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Bethlehem 2, NH).
When is the first and last frost in Littleton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 116 frost-free days, at Bethlehem 2, NH.
What growing zone is Littleton in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Littleton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Littleton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Littleton.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.