Houlton, ME Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Houlton's primary NOAA station, HOULTON INTL AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Houlton
Houlton, Maine has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 41°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 41°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 39.3"
- annual precipitation
- 114 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Houlton: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00014609 · Houlton, ME 41°F mean · 39.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 41°F
- RANK-COOL #480
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Long Falls Dam
- PRCP-MID 39.3"
- SWING-WIDE 53°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,034 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00014609
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Long Falls Dam, ME (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every ME station list.
- Houlton (this station) 41°F
- Cold Sault Ste Marie, MI 41°F
- Hot Long Falls Dam, ME 41°F
- Near Patten, ME 41°F
- Near Chatham, MI 41°F
Houlton sits in Maine, the #4 coldest U.S. state at 43.1°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Houlton
Houlton: 37/100 · grade F
Houlton publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Houlton, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Summer moisture balance | 55.7°F mean dew point | 88/100 · A |
| Precipitation balance | 39.3 in · 4.3 from 35 in | 85/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 185 calendar days | 22/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 40.7°F · 26.8° from 67.5°F | 6/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 114 days/year | 4/100 · F |
Houlton · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Houlton is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 12.9°F and warmest-month mean 66.1°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 66.1°F
- Coldest month
- 12.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Houlton sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Houlton's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 93%
- Among 6,861 stations, Houlton sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 56th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 89%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Houlton is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Houlton compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Houlton's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Houlton's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 70 complete annual observations from 1949 to 2025, HOULTON INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.28°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Houlton primary station fitted change +0.28 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F (-5°C) | 3°F (-16°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 2.6" | N/A | 30.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 26°F (-3°C) | 3°F (-16°C) | 15°F (-10°C) | 1.9" | N/A | 27.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 36°F (2°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 2.7" | N/A | 29.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 49°F (10°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.9" | N/A | 21.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 3.5" | N/A | 7.7 | 0.2 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 4.0" | N/A | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| July | 78°F (26°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 3.6" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| August | 77°F (25°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 3.5" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| September | 68°F (20°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.4" | N/A | 4.0 | 0.2 |
| October | 55°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 4.0" | N/A | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 41°F (5°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 3.6" | N/A | 23.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 30°F (-1°C) | 12°F (-11°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 3.4" | N/A | 29.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 79°F around July 20, short of 90°F on every date, while 185 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 0°F near January 30.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 25, then returns to freezing around October 24, covering 185 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is June 27, when 46% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is February 9 at 34%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 144 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 29 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 25°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Houlton.
Where Houlton Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 185 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Houlton earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
11.4 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
12.2 days with precipitation
13.4 days with precipitation
13.7 days with precipitation
13.0 days with precipitation
11.8 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
Houlton spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 20%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Houlton has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 53.2°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 4.0" and February 1.9". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Houlton's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 144 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 39.3" between them, or roughly 0.27 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 18
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
114 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,034
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
207
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 7.6 | N/A | N/A |
| February | 66% | 8.3 | N/A | N/A |
| March | 63% | 8.1 | N/A | N/A |
| April | 62% | 7.8 | N/A | N/A |
| May | 69% | 7.0 | N/A | N/A |
| June | 74% | 6.4 | N/A | N/A |
| July | 75% | 5.8 | N/A | N/A |
| August | 75% | 6.1 | N/A | N/A |
| September | 77% | 6.3 | N/A | N/A |
| October | 77% | 7.4 | N/A | N/A |
| November | 78% | 7.3 | N/A | N/A |
| December | 74% | 7.9 | N/A | N/A |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside ME closest to Houlton on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (41°F here).
- Gordon, WI 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Prentice, WI 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Wilsall, MT 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Morrisville, VT 41°F · 0.1°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (39.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Newkirk, OK 39.3" · 0.0" off
- Kansas City, MO 39.3" · 0.0" off
- Mason City, IL 39.3" · 0.0" off
- Cascade, IA 39.3" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Houlton's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Houlton's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 9,034 annual heating degree days against 207 for cooling. Its 53.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 114 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Houlton's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 53.2°F. The annual average is 41°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Houlton's 39.3 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Houlton's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Houlton, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Houlton's climate
How much rain does Houlton get? ▼
How cold does Houlton get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Houlton? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Houlton's primary station: HOULTON INTL AP (USW00014609). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Houlton area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as a census-designated place (GEOID 2333945), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Houlton: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Houlton comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.