U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00178965 · Maine

Frost Dates for Van Buren, ME

NOAA weather station Van Buren 2 (USC00178965), Maine · elevation 456 ft (139 m) · hardiness zone 3b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter June 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostSeptember 2650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season125 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone3bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Van Buren, MESpring: a frost after May 8 in 9 years out of 10, after May 23 in half of the years, after June 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 11 in 1 year out of 10, before September 26 in half of the years, before October 7 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 125 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 23First frost ~Sep 26Frost season at Van Buren, MESpring: a frost after May 8 in 9 years out of 10, after May 23 in half of the years, after June 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 11 in 1 year out of 10, before September 26 in half of the years, before October 7 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 125 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 23First frost ~Sep 26
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 5September 11
50% (typical)May 23September 26
90% (likely)May 8October 7
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
125 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
May 7
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 19 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost September 28 (2 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 Van Buren: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% June 5, 20% June 2, 30% May 30, 40% May 26, 50% May 23, 60% May 20, 70% May 17, 80% May 12, 90% May 8. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2022 May 24, 2023 May 23, 2024 June 2, 2025 May 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1Jun 5May 23May 82022: May 242023: May 232024: June 22025: May 22Fall at Van Buren: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 11, 20% September 17, 30% September 21, 40% September 24, 50% September 26, 60% September 29, 70% October 1, 80% October 3, 90% October 7. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 9, 2022 September 19, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 17, 2025 September 22.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Sep 1Oct 1Sep 11Sep 26Oct 72021: October 92022: September 192023: October 242024: October 172025: September 22
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
2021incomplete recordOctober 9
2022May 24September 19
2023May 23October 24
2024June 2October 17
2025May 22September 22
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

September 11 is the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops in Van Buren, Maine, because there is only a 10% chance a light frost has arrived earlier.

The 50% light-frost dates are May 23 in spring and September 26 in fall; each marks the point where the chance of a frost later (spring) or earlier (fall) is even. A cautious planting plan uses June 5 as the spring date for setting out tender crops, since only a 10% chance of frost remains after that day, while the gamble date is May 8 with a 90% chance. The period between the two 32°F 50% dates spans 125 days according to the 30-year record.

Hard-frost dates—May 7 and October 5—are noted because a 28 °F frost can damage plants that survive a 32 °F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after June 5" 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 11" 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 Van Buren, MENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Caribou, ME — 21 mi; 2 — Fort Kent, ME — 32 mi; 3 — Presque Isle, ME — 36 mi; 4 — Bridgewater, ME — 51 mi; 5 — Houlton, ME — 72 mi.ME25 mi · 40 km1. Caribou, ME — 21 mi12. Fort Kent, ME — 32 mi23. Presque Isle, ME — 36 mi34. Bridgewater, ME — 51 mi45. Houlton, ME — 72 mi5
  1. Caribou, ME 21 mi (33 km)
  2. Fort Kent, ME 32 mi (51 km)
  3. Presque Isle, ME 36 mi (57 km)
  4. Bridgewater, ME 51 mi (82 km)
  5. Houlton, ME 72 mi (116 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 3b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 47.1664, -67.9397.