Frost Dates for 04037 — Fryeburg, Maine

Half of springs at Fryeburg E Slopes Airport, ME see their last 32°F night by May 17; only one in ten is past it by May 2, and one in ten still has one after June 1. Planting tender crops after May 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after June 1 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 83% of the 52 Maine stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 25 in half of years, as early as September 11 one year in ten, and holds off past October 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 18, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 128 days in a typical year, shorter than at 94% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 147 days one year in ten and falls short of 109 one year in ten. On average 178 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 12 days longer, to about May 29, and return around September 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and April 2.

July is the warmest month at Fryeburg E Slopes Airport, ME, averaging 82°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 31°F and 7°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 10% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,133 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 67% of the 52 Maine stations. 30% of them (645) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 592. Precipitation totals 47.0 inches a year, most in October (4.7") and least in February (2.9"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, N Conway, NH, 9 miles west of Fryeburg, has a last frost 10 days earlier (May 7), a first frost 10 days later (October 5), a season 22 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fryeburg usually arrives around November 17, and the last of the season around April 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at N Conway, NH, 8.6 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04037 is 4 miles from Fryeburg E Slopes Airport, ME, which stands at 445 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04037 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.