Yes, it’s May, but that doesn’t mean Mount Washington, New Hampshire—the highest peak in the Northeast—got the memo.
Forecasters expect a pattern of chilly weather, gusty winds that might hit 60 miles per hour, and possible snow on the mountain over the coming days.
On Friday night, May 29, 2026, the forecast calls for 5 to 9 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. Their forecast calls for another one to three inches on Saturday. As of now, chances of rain and snow are forecasted by the NWS through Wednesday of next week atop Mount Washington.
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The mountain forecast shared by the Mount Washington Observatory seems a bit less bullish.
They said they expect Friday night “to provide 2 to 4 inches of snow at elevations in the 4000 to 5000-foot range, with 3 to 5 inches for the higher terrain.” Some models, they added, push the overnight totals closer to six inches for areas higher than 6,000 feet. Mount Washington stands just above that mark. The Observatory put the Saturday snow total at a trace to two inches.
This isn’t particularly unusual for Mount Washington. The peak averages around a foot of snow in May and has seen flakes during the summer. It’s known as having the “world’s worst weather.”
Regardless, the injection of chilly air could make for cool spring weather in some parts of New England this weekend. Boston, Massachusetts, is expecting a high of around 50 on Saturday, with a good chunk of the state dipping into the 40s during the afternoon, CBS reported. In New Hampshire, WMUR advised that it “will feel a bit like late winter or early spring on Friday night into Saturday morning.”
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That’s thanks to a weather pattern called an Omega Block, which is pushing a low-pressure system over New England. Meanwhile, other parts of the continent, like Canadian prairies, have been dealing with hot weather.
Given the time of year, the prospect of high-elevation snow out East has less to do with skiers than hikers. It’s easy in May to get lulled into complacency, only to find yourself on a trail, cold and unprepared. The Mountain Washington Observatory shared some advice along those lines.
“While trailheads might look and feel more like spring, the higher you go, the colder, slicker, and wetter it will get,” they wrote. “Pack proper gear, including footwear with added traction, layers for variable conditions, and the 10 essentials.”
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