Bridgewater, Maine climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Bridgewater's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 44.5 inches of precipitation and 94 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.7°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 26°C, 1,132 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBridgewater
- Station IDUSC00170833
- Location46.43°N 67.84°W
- Elevation420 ft (128 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Bridgewater is 51°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 41%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bridgewater.
- Jan 22° 1°
- Feb 26° 3°
- Mar 36° 14°
- Apr 50° 28°
- May 65° 39°
- Jun 73° 49°
- Jul 78° 54°
- Aug 77° 52°
- Sep 68° 44°
- Oct 54° 35°
- Nov 40° 25°
- Dec 28° 11°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Bridgewater each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.52 in), the least in February (2.66 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 1°F | 11.6°F | 3.34 | 22.2 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 26°F | 3°F | 14.1°F | 2.66 | 21.0 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 14°F | 25.2°F | 3.07 | 16.9 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 28°F | 38.6°F | 3.42 | 4.9 | 11 | <1 | 22 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 39°F | 52.0°F | 3.66 | 0.5 | 13 | <1 | 7 | 15 h |
| June | 73°F | 49°F | 60.9°F | 4.50 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 78°F | 54°F | 66.2°F | 4.13 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 77°F | 52°F | 64.4°F | 3.80 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 44°F | 56.3°F | 3.51 | 0.1 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 35°F | 44.4°F | 4.52 | 0.7 | 12 | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 25°F | 32.5°F | 3.91 | 5.8 | 11 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 28°F | 11°F | 19.6°F | 4.03 | 22.3 | 12 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 30°F | 40.5°F | 44.55 | 94.4 | 139 | 2 | 186 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −17°C | −11.3°C | 85 mm | 56 cm |
| February | −4°C | −16°C | −9.9°C | 68 mm | 53 cm |
| March | 2°C | −10°C | −3.8°C | 78 mm | 43 cm |
| April | 10°C | −2°C | 3.7°C | 87 mm | 12 cm |
| May | 18°C | 4°C | 11.1°C | 93 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 12°C | 19.0°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 11°C | 18.0°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.5°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 115 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.3°C | 99 mm | 15 cm |
| December | −2°C | −12°C | −6.9°C | 102 mm | 57 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00170833; 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.
Which months are mildest at Bridgewater?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USC00170833.
When is the last frost at Bridgewater?
In Bridgewater, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 18 in half of years and before September 4 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 251 year in 10 after June 7; 9 in 10 after May 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 181 year in 10 before September 4; 9 in 10 before October 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 115 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 142 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 9 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bridgewater in zone 4a in ZIP code 04734, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (28 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Maine · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00170833; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 at Bridgewater?
In a normal year in Bridgewater, 2 days a year reach 90°F, 186 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 139 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 186a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 84high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 139a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 27a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1959) is 96°F, on August 2, 1975; the lowest is −43°F, on January 20, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 53.82 in; the snowiest season is 1962–63, with 158.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00170833; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00170833. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Bridgewater?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Bridgewater, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (73%) and December the cloudiest (58%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.4 |
| February | 67% | 2.3 |
| March | 67% | 3.5 |
| April | 66% | 4.5 |
| May | 65% | 5.1 |
| June | 67% | 5.5 |
| July | 71% | 5.6 |
| August | 73% | 4.9 |
| September | 73% | 3.9 |
| October | 64% | 2.4 |
| November | 59% | 1.4 |
| December | 58% | 1.1 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Bridgewater record?
A normal year at Bridgewater brings 9,086 heating degree days, 69% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 199 cooling degree days, 78% 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 1,669 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,654 | 0 |
| February | 1,425 | 0 |
| March | 1,235 | 0 |
| April | 791 | 0 |
| May | 411 | 6 |
| June | 155 | 33 |
| July | 47 | 84 |
| August | 77 | 60 |
| September | 275 | 15 |
| October | 637 | 0 |
| November | 974 | 0 |
| December | 1,406 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,086 | 199 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00170833. 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.
Have recent years at Bridgewater been warmer than normal?
Over 40 complete years from 1960 to 2019, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.5°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bridgewater's climate compare?
Bridgewater is warmer than 4 of the 42 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.5°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Mars Hill, ME1,317 people · 6 mi N
- Blaine, ME661 people · 5 mi N
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 Bridgewater's climate
What is the coldest month at Bridgewater?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow at Bridgewater?
Yes: 94 inches in a normal year, falling on 38 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (22.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Bridgewater?
October, with 4.52 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.66 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bridgewater in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bridgewater in zone 4a in ZIP code 04734, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (28 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come at Bridgewater?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 7. Waiting until June 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Presque Isle, ME17 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- Houlton, ME21 miles from this station, 40.7°F a year
- Caribou, ME32 miles from this station, 40.7°F a year
- Limestone, ME37 miles from this station, 38.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made