Frost Dates for 04756 — Madawaska, Maine

Half of springs at Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 25, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 21 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 October 2 in half of years, as early as September 18 one year in ten, and holds off past October 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around October 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 7, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 147 days in a typical year, shorter than at 62% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 165 days one year in ten and falls short of 128 one year in ten. On average 183 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 16 days longer, to about May 22, and return around September 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and April 3.

July is the warmest month at Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME, averaging 76°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 19°F and 3°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 72% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,663 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 94% of the 52 Maine stations. 28% of them (466) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 501. Precipitation totals 33.2 inches a year, most in June (4.2") and least in February (0.9"); May to September bring 56% of it.

The nearest other station, Fort Kent, ME, 15 miles southwest of Madawaska and 378 feet lower, has a last frost 17 days later (May 23), a first frost 8 days earlier (September 24), a season 26 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Madawaska usually arrives around November 6, and the last of the season around April 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Fort Kent, ME, 15.5 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 22 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04756 is 4 miles from Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME, which stands at 988 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04756 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.