Frost Dates for 04976 — Skowhegan, Maine

Half of springs at Madison, ME see their last 32°F night by May 8; only one in ten is past it by April 28, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 20 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 67% of the 52 Maine stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 5 in half of years, as early as September 24 one year in ten, and holds off past October 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 149 days in a typical year, shorter than at 54% of the 52 Maine stations; it reaches 167 days one year in ten and falls short of 131 one year in ten. On average 172 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 19, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 21 and March 31.

July is the warmest month at Madison, ME, averaging 79°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 27°F and 6°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 82% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,941 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 60% of the 52 Maine stations. 28% of them (534) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 563. Precipitation totals 41.8 inches a year, most in October (4.8") and least in February (2.3"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Harmony, ME, 13 miles northeast of Skowhegan, has a last frost 3 days later (May 11), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 1), a season 8 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Skowhegan usually arrives around November 21, and the last of the season around April 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Madison, ME, 9.7 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 32 days after the last snow.

ZIP 04976 is 10 miles from Madison, ME, which stands at 220 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 04976 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.