U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00177037 · Maine

Frost Dates for Rangeley, ME

NOAA weather station Rangeley (USC00177037), Maine · elevation 1530 ft (466 m) · hardiness zone 4b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter June 3only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostSeptember 2750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season127 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone4bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Rangeley, MESpring: a frost after May 10 in 9 years out of 10, after May 23 in half of the years, after June 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 14 in 1 year out of 10, before September 27 in half of the years, before October 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 127 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 23First frost ~Sep 27Frost season at Rangeley, MESpring: a frost after May 10 in 9 years out of 10, after May 23 in half of the years, after June 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 14 in 1 year out of 10, before September 27 in half of the years, before October 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 127 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 23First frost ~Sep 27
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)June 3September 14
50% (typical)May 23September 27
90% (likely)May 10October 9
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
127 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
May 10
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 7

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 21 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost September 30 (3 days later). Frost-free season 130 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Rangeley: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% June 3, 20% May 31, 30% May 29, 40% May 26, 50% May 23, 60% May 20, 70% May 17, 80% May 14, 90% May 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 29, 2022 May 24, 2023 May 20, 2024 May 11, 2025 May 14, 2026 May 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1Jun 3May 23May 102021: May 292022: May 242023: May 202024: May 112025: May 142026: May 23Fall at Rangeley: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 14, 20% September 19, 30% September 22, 40% September 25, 50% September 27, 60% October 1, 70% October 2, 80% October 5, 90% October 9. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 23, 2022 September 30, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 13, 2025 September 8.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Sep 1Oct 1Sep 14Sep 27Oct 92021: October 232022: September 302023: October 242024: October 132025: September 8
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021May 29October 23
2022May 24September 30
2023May 20October 24
2024May 11October 13
2025May 14September 8
2026May 23season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date, May 10, is a gamble because a light frost later that season occurs with a 90% chance. The median, even-odds date for light frost is May 23; at that date there is a 50% chance of a frost later in the season. In the fall the median light-frost date is September 27, indicating a 50% chance of a frost around that time.

A cautious planting schedule in Rangeley waits until the June 3 light-frost date, which carries only a 10% chance of a later frost, and finishes tender-crop harvest by September 14, when there is only a 10% chance a frost has arrived earlier. The hard-frost 50% dates, May 10 in spring and October 7 in fall, show when temperatures reach 28 °F with even odds, and a hard frost can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F. The record span is 30 years and the interval between the two 32 °F 50% dates is 127 days.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after June 3" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 14" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Rangeley, MENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Eustis, ME — 19 mi; 2 — Farmington, ME — 31 mi; 3 — First Connecticut Lake, NH — 33 mi; 4 — Madison, ME — 39 mi; 5 — Berlin, NH — 44 mi.MENHVT25 mi · 40 km1. Eustis, ME — 19 mi12. Farmington, ME — 31 mi23. First Connecticut Lake, NH — 33 mi34. Madison, ME — 39 mi45. Berlin, NH — 44 mi5
  1. Eustis, ME 19 mi (30 km)
  2. Farmington, ME 31 mi (49 km)
  3. First Connecticut Lake, NH 33 mi (53 km)
  4. Madison, ME 39 mi (62 km)
  5. Berlin, NH 44 mi (71 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 4b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 44.9675, -70.6422.