Frost Dates for 04785 — Van Buren, Maine

Half of springs at Van Buren 2, ME see their last 32°F night by May 23; only one in ten is past it by May 8, and one in ten still has one after June 5. Planting tender crops after May 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 2 20%, and after June 5 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 September 26 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 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 23, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 125 days in a typical year, shorter than at 96% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 145 days one year in ten and falls short of 105 one year in ten. On average 193 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 June 4, and return around September 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 11 and April 9.

July is the warmest month at Van Buren 2, ME, averaging 76°F by day and 55°F at night; January is the coldest at 19°F and -4°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 25% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,563 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 52 Maine stations. 27% of them (415) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 488. Precipitation totals 41.7 inches a year, most in July (4.8") and least in February (2.3"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Caribou Municipal Airport, ME, 19 miles south of Van Buren and 168 feet higher, has a last frost 16 days earlier (May 7), a first frost 5 days later (October 1), a season 18 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Van Buren usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Van Buren 2, ME, 1.4 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04785 is 1 mile from Van Buren 2, ME, which stands at 456 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04785 in zone 4a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -30 to -25°F (-34.4 to -31.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.