Photo: SayCheeeeeese · Public domainMidwinter lows in Peterborough sink below those of 90% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 81°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 68° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 5, with the first autumn frost due around October 6.
A year in Peterborough at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Peterborough’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Peterborough’s place in New Hampshire beside it.
What a year in Peterborough feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 6. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Jaffrey Silver Rch Airpark, NH, 6 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Jaffrey Muni Airport, 7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Peterborough’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Greenville 1 Nne, NH, is heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Peterborough
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Jaffrey Muni Airport.
Living with Peterborough’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 40 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Peterborough from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (79%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Peterborough and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Peterborough in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Peterborough’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough, NH | 13° | 81° | 47" | 75" |
| Walton, NY | 13° | 80° | 47" | 71" |
| Ellsworth, ME | 11° | 79° | 48" | 75" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 75" |
| Swanton, VT | 9° | 80° | 40" | 80" |
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 Peterborough averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Peterborough compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Peterborough’s place among New Hampshire’s.
Peterborough weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Peterborough’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Greenville 1 Nne, NH. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 13° | 3.3" | 19.2" | 9 | 25 | 12° – 29° |
| February | 35° | 14° | 3.1" | 19.2" | 7 | 25 | 11° – 31° |
| March | 43° | 22° | 3.7" | 15.7" | 9 | 23 | 26° – 42° |
| April | 57° | 33° | 3.9" | 2.9" | 9 | 5 | 41° – 49° |
| May | 68° | 43° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 76° | 53° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 59° | 38° | 5.1" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 29° | 3.8" | 1.9" | 9 | 3 | 33° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 20° | 4.1" | 16.1" | 9 | 16 | 22° – 39° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 47.4" | 75.4" | 108 | 97 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Peterborough’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 Peterborough’s center.
- Snow: Greenville 1 Nne, NH.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Jaffrey Muni Airport, 7 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Jaffrey Silver Rch Airpark, NH, 6 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 Peterborough’s climate
What is the weather like in Peterborough?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Peterborough in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 150 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Peterborough get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Greenville 1 Nne, NH, heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 97 days a year.
How hot does it get in Peterborough?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 58°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Jaffrey Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Peterborough?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 152 frost-free days, at Jaffrey Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Peterborough in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Peterborough?
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 Peterborough getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Peterborough.
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.