Bethel, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bethel's normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 50.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.6°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 26°C, 1,292 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBethel (6 mi SSE)
- Station IDUSC00170583
- Location44.32°N 70.76°W
- Elevation790 ft (241 m)
- Population (town)2,718
- Census place546
On October 23, the normal high in Bethel is 54°F and the normal low 35°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bethel.
- Jan 28° 8°
- Feb 31° 11°
- Mar 40° 19°
- Apr 52° 31°
- May 65° 42°
- Jun 74° 52°
- Jul 79° 57°
- Aug 78° 56°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 57° 37°
- Nov 45° 27°
- Dec 34° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Bethel each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in October (5.28 in), the least in February (3.08 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 8°F | 17.8°F | 3.74 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 11°F | 20.7°F | 3.08 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 40°F | 19°F | 29.2°F | 3.51 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 31°F | 41.6°F | 4.30 | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 65°F | 42°F | 53.8°F | 3.78 | – | <1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 74°F | 52°F | 62.7°F | 5.27 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 79°F | 57°F | 67.9°F | 4.61 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 78°F | 56°F | 66.7°F | 5.01 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 47°F | 58.7°F | 3.82 | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 37°F | 46.9°F | 5.28 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 45°F | 27°F | 36.0°F | 4.17 | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 34°F | 17°F | 25.3°F | 4.29 | – | <1 | 28 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 34°F | 43.9°F | 50.86 | – | 3 | 167 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −13°C | −7.9°C | 95 mm |
| February | −1°C | −12°C | −6.3°C | 78 mm |
| March | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C | 89 mm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 5.3°C | 109 mm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.1°C | 96 mm |
| June | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 134 mm |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 19.9°C | 117 mm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 127 mm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 97 mm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.3°C | 134 mm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 106 mm |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.7°C | 109 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bridgton (17 miles away), gets 84 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00170583; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Bethel?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00170583.
When is the last frost in Bethel?
In Bethel, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 20 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 61 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 175 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bethel in zone 5a in ZIP code 04217, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Maine · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00170583; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Bethel?
In a normal year in Bethel, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 167 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 167a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 56high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00170583.
How sunny is Bethel?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bethel, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (76%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.6 |
| February | 67% | 2.5 |
| March | 69% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 66% | 5.2 |
| June | 68% | 5.6 |
| July | 74% | 5.7 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 76% | 4.2 |
| October | 66% | 2.6 |
| November | 64% | 1.7 |
| December | 60% | 1.2 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Bethel need?
A normal year in Bethel brings 7,930 heating degree days, 48% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 287 cooling degree days, 68% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,978 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,461 | 0 |
| February | 1,240 | 0 |
| March | 1,111 | 0 |
| April | 702 | 0 |
| May | 356 | 9 |
| June | 120 | 50 |
| July | 24 | 114 |
| August | 32 | 83 |
| September | 219 | 30 |
| October | 564 | 1 |
| November | 870 | 0 |
| December | 1,231 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,930 | 287 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00170583. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Bethel been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 44.5°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 43.9°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.3°F | +2.4°F | 35.63 |
| 2022 | 45.2°F | +1.3°F | 46.98 |
| 2023 | 46.5°F | +2.6°F | 64.47 |
| 2025 | 44.5°F | +0.6°F | 41.01 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00170583. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bethel's climate compare?
Bethel is warmer than 19 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 36. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.9°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bethel is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Bethel share this climate record?
Norway has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Norway, ME5,326 people · 11 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Bethel's climate
What is the coldest month in Bethel?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Bethel?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Bethel's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bridgton (17 miles away), records 84 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Bethel?
October, with 5.28 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.08 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bethel in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bethel in zone 5a in ZIP code 04217, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Bethel?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bridgton, ME17 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Rumford, ME18 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Hartford, ME22 miles from this station, 43.2°F a year
- Gorham, NH22 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made