Frost Dates for 04250 — Lisbon, Maine

Half of springs at Durham, ME see their last 32°F night by May 15; only one in ten is past it by May 1, and one in ten still has one after May 28. Planting tender crops after May 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 23 20%, and after May 28 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 2 in half of years, as early as September 20 one year in ten, and holds off past October 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 13; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 16, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 139 days in a typical year, shorter than at 77% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 157 days one year in ten and falls short of 122 one year in ten. On average 176 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 28, and return around September 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 21 and March 27.

July is the warmest month at Durham, ME, averaging 79°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 29°F and 8°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,872 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 75% of the 52 Maine stations. 27% of them (512) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 545. Precipitation totals 49.9 inches a year, most in October (5.4") and least in February (3.4"); May to September bring 40% of it.

The nearest other station, Lewiston, ME, 7 miles northwest of Lisbon, has a last frost 20 days earlier (April 25), a first frost 17 days later (October 19), a season 38 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lisbon usually arrives around November 21, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Durham, ME, 2 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 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04250 is 2 miles from Durham, ME, which stands at 140 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 04252 (Lisbon Falls). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04250 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.