Everyone wants a bit of a blissful breeze or a scoop of sunny sanctuary when looking for a place to live in New Hampshire.
The more sun, the more you can go outside. The more you go outside, the more you’ll feel at peace. The more you’ll feel at peace, the more you’ll enjoy where you live.
So it makes sense to try and find the places with the best weather in New Hampshire. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the number of sunny days, total precipitation, and the deviation from the ideal 70-degree weather for 14 places in New Hampshire over 10,000 people.
Grab your shades and put away your raincoat as we look at the cities with the best weather in New Hampshire.
285.5 sunny days · 57.9 degree average high
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. The population was estimated at 31,153 in 2016. It is the county seat of Strafford County, and home to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, the Woodman Institute Museum, and the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
285.2 sunny days · 58.2 degree average high
Located in
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Manchester is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 109,565, and its estimated 2016 population was 110,506. It is one of two seats of Hillsborough County, the state of New Hampshire’s most populous county. Manchester is located near the northern end of the Northeast megalopolis, along the banks of the Merrimack River-which divides the city into eastern and western sections. It was first named by the merchant and inventor Samuel Blodgett. Blodget’s vision was to create a great industrial center similar to that of the original Manchester in England, which was the world’s first industrialized city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
282.6 sunny days · 59.1 degree average high
Located in
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Nashua is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, Nashua had a total population of 86,494, making it the second-largest city in the state after Manchester. As of 2016 the population had risen to an estimated 87,882.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
283.5 sunny days · 57.3 degree average high
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is the only city in the county, but only the fourth-largest community, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census. As of 2016 the estimated population was 21,485. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination, Portsmouth was the home of the Strategic Air Command’s Pease Air Force Base, later converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease with limited commercial air service.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
275.4 sunny days · 57.6 degree average high
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Somersworth is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,766 at the 2010 census. Somersworth has the smallest area and third-lowest population of New Hampshire’s 13 cities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
287.9 sunny days · 56.1 degree average high
Located in
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Lebanon locally is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,151 at the 2010 census and an estimated 13,513 as of 2016. Lebanon is located in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School, together comprising the largest medical facility between Boston, Massachusetts and Burlington, Vermont.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
275.4 sunny days · 57.7 degree average high
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752, and in 2016 the estimated population was 30,345. The city includes the villages of East Rochester, Gonic, and North Rochester. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
282.8 sunny days · 57.3 degree average high
Located in
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of Cheshire County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
283.8 sunny days · 56.1 degree average high
Located in
Belknap County, New Hampshire
Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,951 at the 2010 census, and an estimated 16,470 as of 2016. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam Lake, includes the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each June for nine days beginning on the Saturday of the weekend before Father’s Day and ending on Father’s Day, the city hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, also more simply known as ‘bike week’, one of the country’s largest rallies, and each winter, the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby. The city is also the site of the state’s annual Pumpkin Festival since 2015, having organized it after its former home of Keene rejected it due to riots in their neighborhoods in 2014. The city also includes one of the colleges of the Community College System of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
279.8 sunny days · 57.4 degree average high
Located in
Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Concord is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Hampshire’s statewide median.
On the map
Where New Hampshire’s best weather is
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In New Hampshire With The Best Weather
To rank the most fair weather cities in New Hampshire, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Granite State get the best weather.
We used the following criteria to find the best weather:
- Number of sunny days
- Highest average low
- Average high deviation from 70 degrees
- Least amount of rain
- Least amount of snow
We ranked each city of over 10,000 people in New Hampshire from best to worst on each criterion. We then averaged each ranking into a weather quality index. The city with the best index, Dover, was anointed the city with the best weather in New Hampshire.
Before we get too far, here are the annual precipitation rates for major cities: Manchester (42.1 inches), Nashua (46.4 inches), and Concord (43.8 inches).
The cities with the best weather in New Hampshire are Dover, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Somersworth, Lebanon, Rochester, Keene, Laconia, and Concord.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of Places With The Best Weather In New Hampshire
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Sunny Days | Avg. High | Precipitation (Inches) | Snow (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dover | 30,534 | 285.5 | 57.9 | 45.7 | 49.9 |
| 2 | Manchester | 110,139 | 285.2 | 58.2 | 42.1 | 58.9 |
| 3 | Nashua | 87,110 | 282.6 | 59.1 | 46.4 | 56.6 |
| 4 | Portsmouth | 21,426 | 283.5 | 57.3 | 48.8 | 54.7 |
| 5 | Somersworth | 11,778 | 275.4 | 57.6 | 47.5 | 51.2 |
| 6 | Lebanon | 13,535 | 287.9 | 56.1 | 39.8 | 64.3 |
| 7 | Rochester | 29,954 | 275.4 | 57.7 | 49.9 | 53.8 |
| 8 | Keene | 23,403 | 282.8 | 57.3 | 43.4 | 58.0 |
| 9 | Laconia | 16,075 | 283.8 | 56.1 | 44.8 | 57.8 |
| 10 | Concord | 42,537 | 279.8 | 57.4 | 43.8 | 62.0 |
| 11 | Claremont | 13,076 | 284.6 | 56.2 | 42.8 | 65.4 |
| 12 | Derry | 22,363 | ||||
| 13 | Londonderry | 10,729 | ||||
| 14 | Durham | 10,640 |
Source: NOAA climate data. 14 New Hampshire cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Cities With The Best Weather In New Hampshire For 2026
If you’re looking for the New Hampshire cities with the most sunny days, the least rain and snow, and highs closest to a perfect 70 degrees, this is an accurate list.
The cities with the best weather in New Hampshire are Dover, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Somersworth, Lebanon, Rochester, Keene, Laconia, and Concord.
