Danforth, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Danforth's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 45.6 inches of precipitation and 96 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.9°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 26°C, 1,157 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDanforth
- Station IDUSC00171833
- Location45.66°N 67.86°W
- Elevation475 ft (145 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population (town)592
- Census place507
On October 23, the normal high in Danforth is 54°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Danforth.
- Jan 25° 2°
- Feb 28° 2°
- Mar 38° 14°
- Apr 50° 28°
- May 64° 38°
- Jun 74° 48°
- Jul 78° 54°
- Aug 77° 52°
- Sep 70° 43°
- Oct 57° 32°
- Nov 44° 24°
- Dec 32° 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 in Danforth each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.65 in), the least in February (3.30 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 2°F | 13.4°F | 3.44 | 23.2 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 28°F | 2°F | 14.6°F | 3.30 | 22.1 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 14°F | 25.7°F | 3.48 | 22.1 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 28°F | 38.9°F | 3.58 | 5.1 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 64°F | 38°F | 50.8°F | 3.67 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 10 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 74°F | 48°F | 60.9°F | 3.54 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 78°F | 54°F | 65.8°F | 4.08 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 77°F | 52°F | 64.6°F | 3.75 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 43°F | 56.4°F | 3.79 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 6 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 32°F | 44.4°F | 4.65 | 1.4 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 24°F | 33.9°F | 4.14 | 4.4 | 11 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 32°F | 11°F | 21.4°F | 4.14 | 17.4 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 29°F | 40.9°F | 45.56 | 95.7 | 126 | 3 | 198 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −17°C | −10.3°C | 87 mm | 59 cm |
| February | −2°C | −17°C | −9.7°C | 84 mm | 56 cm |
| March | 3°C | −10°C | −3.5°C | 88 mm | 56 cm |
| April | 10°C | −2°C | 3.8°C | 91 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 18°C | 3°C | 10.4°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 11°C | 18.1°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 6°C | 13.6°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 0°C | 6.9°C | 118 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 6°C | −4°C | 1.1°C | 105 mm | 11 cm |
| December | 0°C | −12°C | −5.9°C | 105 mm | 44 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00171833; 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 Danforth?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00171833.
When is the last frost in Danforth?
In Danforth, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 8 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 in half of years and before September 8 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 8; 9 in 10 after May 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 8; 9 in 10 before October 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 143 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 11 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Danforth in zone 4b in ZIP code 04424, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Danforth's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (23 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 USC00171833; 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 in Danforth?
In a normal year in Danforth, 3 days a year reach 90°F, 198 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 126 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 198a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 71high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 126a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 25a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1978) is 95°F, on May 23, 1992; the lowest is −38°F, on December 31, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1990, with 51.44 in; the snowiest season is 1997–98, with 130.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00171833; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00171833. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Danforth?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Danforth, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (74%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 1.5 |
| February | 67% | 2.4 |
| March | 67% | 3.5 |
| April | 65% | 4.4 |
| May | 65% | 5.1 |
| June | 67% | 5.5 |
| July | 72% | 5.6 |
| August | 74% | 5.0 |
| September | 74% | 4.0 |
| October | 66% | 2.5 |
| November | 61% | 1.5 |
| 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 Danforth need?
A normal year in Danforth brings 8,950 heating degree days, 67% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 206 cooling degree days, 77% 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 1,649 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,599 | 0 |
| February | 1,410 | 0 |
| March | 1,217 | 0 |
| April | 783 | 0 |
| May | 445 | 4 |
| June | 161 | 38 |
| July | 59 | 83 |
| August | 78 | 65 |
| September | 274 | 15 |
| October | 639 | 0 |
| November | 935 | 0 |
| December | 1,351 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,950 | 206 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00171833. 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.
How does Danforth's climate compare?
Danforth is warmer than 7 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 19. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.9°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Danforth 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.
Questions about Danforth's climate
What is the coldest month in Danforth?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Danforth?
Yes: 96 inches in a normal year, falling on 30 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (23.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Danforth?
October, with 4.65 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.30 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Danforth in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Danforth in zone 4b in ZIP code 04424, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Danforth's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −23°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Danforth?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 8. Waiting until June 8 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Topsfield 2, ME17 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Vanceboro, ME22 miles from this station, 42.7°F a year
- Houlton, ME32 miles from this station, 40.7°F a year
- Grand Lake Stream, ME34 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made