Frost Dates for 04463 — Milo, Maine

Half of springs at Barnard, ME see their last 32°F night by May 12; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 26. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 26 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 69% of the 52 Maine stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 1 in half of years, as early as September 18 one year in ten, and holds off past October 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 141 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 157 days one year in ten and falls short of 121 one year in ten. On average 184 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 25, and return around September 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and April 1.

July is the warmest month at Barnard, ME, averaging 78°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 26°F and 5°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 88% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,810 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 85% of the 52 Maine stations. 28% of them (501) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 525. Precipitation totals 48.3 inches a year, most in October (5.1") and least in February (3.0"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Dover-Foxcroft Wwtp, ME, 12 miles west of Milo and 175 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days later (May 15), a first frost 3 days earlier (September 28), a season 7 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Milo usually arrives around November 6, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Barnard, ME, 10 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04463 is 10 miles from Barnard, ME, which stands at 545 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04463 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.