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Lake Winnipesaukee is a lake in New Hampshire. It covers roughly 44,586 surface acres (about 70 square miles). Nearby alternatives include Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, and Squam Lake. Below you will find an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Check the hourly forecast and activity outlook below before heading out to Lake Winnipesaukee.
Updated
No active alerts for this lake as of the last check (Oct 10, 9:58 PM EDT). Alerts are re-checked automatically; see the official source for updates.
Overall Good (89/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Boating (100/100).
How the score is calculated →Best good fishing window, averaging 88/100 across these hours. Wind 5 mph from the south. Dusk hours (18:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 48° | 47° | 46° | 44° | 42° | 42° | 41° | 40° | 38° | 37° | 36° | 39° | 42° | 46° | 50° | 54° | 57° | 59° | 60° | 61° | 60° | 60° | 59° | 56° |
| Wind (kts) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Direction | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW | SW | SW | SW | S | S | S | S | SW | S |
| Gusts (kts) | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Precip % | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 4% | 7% | 13% | 16% | 16% | 33% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, 9 PM EDT | 48°F | Calm | 2 mph | 0% | 51% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sat, 10 PM EDT | 47°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 62% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sat, 11 PM EDT | 46°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 59% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 12 AM EDT | 44°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 55% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 1 AM EDT | 42°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 55% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 2 AM EDT | 42°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 65% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 3 AM EDT | 41°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 63% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 4 AM EDT | 40°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 53% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 5 AM EDT | 38°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 29% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 6 AM EDT | 37°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 27% | Areas Of Frost |
| Sun, 7 AM EDT | 36°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 50% | Areas Of Frost |
| Sun, 8 AM EDT | 39°F | Calm | 0 mph | 0% | 59% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 9 AM EDT | 42°F | Calm | 2 mph | 0% | 45% | Patchy Fog |
| Sun, 10 AM EDT | 46°F | Calm | 5 mph | 0% | 59% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 11 AM EDT | 50°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 7 mph | 1% | 65% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 12 PM EDT | 54°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 7 mph | 1% | 65% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 1 PM EDT | 57°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 9 mph | 1% | 86% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 2 PM EDT | 59°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 12 mph | 2% | 91% | Cloudy |
| Sun, 3 PM EDT | 60°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 12 mph | 4% | 94% | Cloudy |
| Sun, 4 PM EDT | 61°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 7% | 90% | Cloudy |
| Sun, 5 PM EDT | 60°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 13% | 91% | Cloudy |
| Sun, 6 PM EDT | 60°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 16% | 96% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 7 PM EDT | 59°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 12 mph | 16% | 96% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 8 PM EDT | 56°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 12 mph | 33% | 97% | Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 9 PM EDT | 55°F | 5 mph SW (225°) | 9 mph | 45% | 97% | Chance Rain Showers |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | Tonight October 10, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Sunday Night October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 36° | 61° | 48° | 68° | 45° | 55° | 50° | 61° | 43° | 57° | 40° | 54° | 44° | 53° |
| Wind | 0 mph | SW 0 to 5 mph | SW 0 to 5 mph | NW 0 to 5 mph | N 5 to 15 mph | E 5 to 15 mph | S 5 to 15 mph | W 10 mph | NW 10 mph | NW 10 mph | NW 5 to 10 mph | SW 5 to 10 mph | SW 10 to 15 mph | W 15 to 20 mph |
| Gusts | 2 mph | 12 mph | 12 mph | 9 mph | 25 mph | 23 mph | 23 mph | 22 mph | 22 mph | 17 mph | 16 mph | 16 mph | 25 mph | 25 mph |
| Precip % | 0% | 13% | 94% | 59% | 49% | 71% | 83% | 45% | 8% | 10% | 17% | 40% | 54% | 42% |
| Forecast |
No active USGS or USACE telemetry gauge is currently mapped to Lake Winnipesaukee. Not available from a verified source for this lake.
Good for fishing (87/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 0 mph from the west. 0% chance of precipitation. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Excellent for boating (100/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 0 mph from the west. Gusts to 2 mph. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Fair for sailing (63/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Gusts are within 2 mph of sustained wind, so the breeze is steady. No active official alerts for this lake. Working against it: Wind 0 mph is light; expect limited sailing. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Excellent for kayaking (98/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 0 mph from the west. Gusts to 2 mph. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of NH Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Nestled within NH, Lake Winnipesaukee offers extensive shoreline access and dependable waters for public recreation. The lake accommodates a wide variety of activities including waterskiing, pontoon cruising, and bank angling. Facility management and regional habitat protection are overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Brook Trout, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Northern cold winter conditions with freezing air temperatures and potential surface ice formation. Ramps and water systems may be winterized. Confirm open status before visiting.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Lake Winnipesaukee is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 10, 9:58 PM EDT