USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 04694 — Baileyville, Maine
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Woodland, ME (123 ft), 3 miles northeast.
Updated
In Baileyville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 26, as early as October 7 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 185 days (NOAA, Woodland, ME).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 26
- Growing season
- 185 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 6
- Last snow
- March 24
- Winters with snow
- 90%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Baileyville
Half of springs at Woodland, ME see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 26 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 29 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 87% of the 52 Maine stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 26 in half of years, as early as October 7 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 185 days in a typical year, the longest of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 206 days one year in ten and falls short of 165 one year in ten. On average 166 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 11 days longer, to about May 2, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 18.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 11 | May 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 |
| 24°F | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 |
| 20°F | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 |
| 16°F | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Apr 1 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 26 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 7 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 22 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 |
| 24°F | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 |
| 20°F | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 16°F | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Woodland, 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 04694 →Compare Baileyville with another place →
Weather by month in Baileyville
July is the warmest month at Woodland, ME, averaging 80°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 28°F and 13°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 13% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 2,382 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 96% of the 52 Maine stations. 28% of them (659) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 656. Precipitation totals 47.5 inches a year, most in October (5.3") and least in February (3.1"); May to September bring 38% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 13 | 3.6 | 100% | 30 | 0 |
| Feb | 31 | 14 | 3.1 | 100% | 27 | 0 |
| Mar | 39 | 24 | 3.8 | 100% | 28 | 2 |
| Apr | 52 | 36 | 3.8 | 99% | 18 | 22 |
| May | 64 | 46 | 3.8 | 13% | 3 | 187 |
| Jun | 74 | 56 | 3.9 | 0% | 0 | 448 |
| Jul | 80 | 62 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 656 |
| Aug | 79 | 61 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 615 |
| Sep | 71 | 52 | 3.4 | 3% | 1 | 345 |
| Oct | 58 | 42 | 5.3 | 66% | 9 | 94 |
| Nov | 46 | 33 | 4.8 | 100% | 21 | 12 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 4.9 | 100% | 28 | 1 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Woodland, ME (123 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Wesley, ME, 16 miles southwest of Baileyville and 287 feet higher, has a last frost 11 days later (May 2), a first frost 11 days earlier (October 15), a season 21 days shorter.
When it snows in Baileyville, Maine
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Baileyville usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Woodland, ME, 2.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 90% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 04694
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 3 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 26 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 04694 is 3 miles from Woodland, ME, which stands at 123 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 04619 (Calais). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04694 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.
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.