USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 03909 — York, Maine
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Cape Neddick, ME (152 ft), 5 miles north.
Updated
In York, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 1 in half of years and has passed by May 14 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 14, as early as October 1 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 165 days (NOAA, Cape Neddick, ME).
- Last spring frost
- May 1
- First fall frost
- October 14
- Growing season
- 165 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 28
- Last snow
- April 3
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 70.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
18 of 18 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in York
Half of springs at Cape Neddick, ME see their last 32°F night by May 1; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 9 20%, and after May 14 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 33% of the 52 Maine stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 14 in half of years, as early as October 1 one year in ten, and holds off past October 31 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 165 days in a typical year, longer than at 81% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 185 days one year in ten and falls short of 147 one year in ten. On average 149 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about May 14, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 17.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 | May 11 | May 14 | May 16 | May 18 | May 20 | May 24 |
| 32°F | Apr 20 | Apr 25 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 1 | May 4 | May 6 | May 9 | May 14 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 20 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 23 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 |
| 20°F | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 |
| 16°F | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 15 | Mar 17 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 |
| 32°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 31 |
| 28°F | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 24°F | Oct 26 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 |
| 20°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 |
| 16°F | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Cape Neddick, ME, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 03909 →Compare York with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Greenland, NH, 13 miles southwest of York, has a last frost 3 days later (May 4), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 8), a season 8 days shorter.
When it snows in York, Maine
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in York usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around April 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cape Neddick, ME, 4.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 03909
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 20 – March 6 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 6 – March 20 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 3 – April 17 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 1 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 22 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 30 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 14 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 03909 is 5 miles from Cape Neddick, ME, which stands at 152 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 04090 (Wells). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 03909 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.