White Mountains 4000 Footer Weather Forecasts

Philip Werner October 1, 2023 4000 Footers

A one-page listing of weather forecast and trail conditions information for each of the 48 New Hampshire White Mountain 4000 footers.

How many of you spend hours each month searching NOAA, NETC, or Mountain Forecast, typing in mountain names into their tiny search forms on smartphones? I decided to put it all on one webpage instead, with linked and prefilled searches. I originally did this for myself, but I hope you find it useful. The URL is short and sweet too.

https://sectionhiker.com/4kforecasts

Keep in mind that the summit forecast will usually be colder than the approach trails leading to the peaks by approximately 3 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain. On above-treeline peaks, which are generally 4500′ or higher in the Whites, wind speeds/wind chill will also be less intense below the treeline on mountains with sufficient tree cover.

You can find quite detailed information about all of the approach trails to these mountains as well as advice about winter routes in The 4000 Footers of the White Mountains by Steve Smith and Mike Dickerman, available from Amazon or the Mountain Wanderer Bookstore in Lincoln, NH. It is the White Mountains peakbagging bible.

White Mountains Weather Forecast Sources

NOAA is the US Government Agency responsible for national weather forecasting and their forecast is the gold standard in the United States. Most commercial forecasts are based on the weather information they publish.
Mountain Weather Forecast publishes mountain forecasts in a format that many hikers find useful. Their forecasts are almost always too optimistic however in terms of wind speed and temperatures. Beware.
NETC (New England Trail Conditions) is a local bulletin board where serious hikers post trail-condition information about their hikes which is particularly helpful in determining what type of traction/flotation aids (crampon, microspikes, or snowshoes) to carry in winter and other trail hazards.
The Mount Washington Observatory High Summits Forecast is particularly useful for hiking in the northern Presidential Range surrounding the Great Gulf. It loses significance the farther removed you are from Mt Washington, except in cases of extreme regional weather. It is only listed for peaks where it’s relevant.
The Presidential Range Avalanche Forecast is published by the Mt Washington Avalance Center.
The USGS National Water Dashboard publishes water gauge readings throughout the United States. These are useful for assessing the safety of stream crossings on upstream feeder streams and rivers. You’ll want a topographic map to understand the local drainages.

1. Mt Washington (6288′)

2. Mt Adams (5774′)

3. Mt Jefferson (5712′)

4. Mt Monroe (5384′)

5. Mt Madison (5367′)

6. Mt Lafayette (5260′)

7. Mt Lincoln (5089′)

8. South Twin Mountain (4902′)

9. Carter Dome (4832′)

10. Mt Moosilauke (4802′)

11. Mt Eisenhower (4780′)

12. North Twin Mountain (4761′)

13. Mt Carrigain (4700′)

14. Mt Bond (4698′)

15. Middle Carter Mountain (4610′)

16. West Bond Mountain (4540′)

17. Mt Garfield (4500′)

18. Mt Liberty (4459′)

19. South Carter Mountain (4430′)

20. Wildcat Mountain (4422′)

21. Mt Hancock (4420′)

22. South Kinsman Mountain (4358′)

23. Mt Field (4340′)

24. Mt Osceola (4340′)

25. Mt Flume (4328′)

26. South Hancock Mountain (4319′)

27. Mt Pierce (4310′)

28. North Kinsman Mountain (4293′)

29. Mt Willey (4285′)

30. Bondcliff Mountain (4265′)

31. Mt Zealand (4260′)

32. North Tripyramid (4180′)

33. Mt Cabot (4170′)

34. East Osceola (4156′)

35. Middle Tripyramid (4140′)

36. Cannon Mountain (4100′)

37. Mt Hale (4054′)

38. Mt Jackson (4052′)

39. Mt Tom (4051′)

40. Wildcat D (4062′)

41. Mt Moriah (4049′)

42. Mt Passaconaway (4043′)

43. Owl’s Head Mountain (4025′)

44. Galehead Mountain (4024′)

45. Mt Whiteface (4020′)

46. Mt Waumbek (4006′)

47. Mt Isolation (4004′)

48. Mt Tecumseh (4003′)

White Mountains River Gauges

While these river gauges are downstream of many White Mountain hiking trails, they’re a good way to approximate the magnitude of upstream water levels for stream crossings. For example, the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River Guage in Lincoln is a good way to assess the relative safety of the Lincoln Brook Crossing at Owlshead Mountain because that stream flows into the East Branch.

About the maintainer

Philip Werner has hiked and backpacked over 8500 miles in the United States and the UK and written over 3000 articles as the founder of SectionHiker.com, noted for its backpacking gear reviews and hiking FAQs. A devotee of New Hampshire and Maine hiking and backpacking, Philip has hiked all 650+ trails in the White Mountains twice and has completed 10 rounds of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4000 footer list with over 540 summits in all four seasons. He is also the author of Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers, a free online guidebook of the best backpacking trips in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. He lives in New Hampshire. Click here to subscribe to the SectionHiker newsletter.

8 comments

dan
January 18, 2022 at 1:25 pm
This is amazing – thank you!!!!
- Philip Werner
  January 18, 2022 at 2:17 pm
  A huge time saver, although I’m planning a few small enhancements – like some prefilled town and trailhead forecasts as well which can be useful for predicting lower elevation conditions.
Jim
February 6, 2022 at 5:04 pm
This is great – thanks
Jim
Bill
February 24, 2022 at 4:03 pm
Thank you! I appreciate this.
- Philip Werner
  February 25, 2022 at 11:25 am
  I use it constantly. Save it as a bookmark on your phone.
Robarge
September 1, 2022 at 11:15 am
This is really helpful to avoid those fiddly menus on a phone. Great work, Phillip.
Bill Swanton
December 27, 2022 at 9:23 pm
It would be interesting to correlate gauge readings with advice of how challenging certain stream crossing would be.
Searlaid
December 29, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Thank you, Philip,
This is a terrific service you’ve given us. Thank you many times more!