Lewiston, ME Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Lewiston's primary NOAA station, LEWISTON.
The climate verdict for Lewiston
Water is the standout signal in Lewiston, Maine: 45.2 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 46°F. At 54/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 31% of scores.
- 46°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 54/100
- comfort score, above 31% of station-mapped location scores
- 45.2"
- annual precipitation · 65" snow
- 177 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Lewiston: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00174566 · Lewiston, ME 46°F mean · 45.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,647
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Pathfinder Dam
- PRCP-MID 45.2"
- SWING-WIDE 51°F
- COMF-LOW 54/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,271 HDD
- STN-1 USC00174566
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Pathfinder Dam, WY (+ 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.
- Lewiston (this station) 46°F
- Hot Rapid City, SD 46°F
- Near Pathfinder Dam, WY 46°F
- Near West Bend, WI 46°F
- Near Douglas, WY 46°F
Lewiston 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 · Lewiston
Lewiston: 40/100 · grade D
Lewiston publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Lewiston, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 54/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 45.2 in · 10.2 from 35 in | 64/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 177 days/year | 48/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 148 calendar days | 48/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.3°F · 21.2° from 67.5°F | 24/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 65.1 inches/year | 13/100 · F |
Lewiston · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Lewiston is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 20.0°F and warmest-month mean 70.8°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
- 70.8°F
- Coldest month
- 20.0°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 Lewiston sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Lewiston's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 76%
- Among 6,861 stations, Lewiston sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 69th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 83%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Lewiston is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Lewiston compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Lewiston's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
54 31st percentile score exceeds 31% 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F (-2°C) | 12°F (-11°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 3.3" | 19.4" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 32°F (0°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 3.2" | 17.3" | 26.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 40°F (5°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 3.5" | 12.3" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (12°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 4.0" | 2.9" | 10.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 65°F (19°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.2" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| June | 74°F (23°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| July | 80°F (27°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| September | 70°F (21°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| October | 58°F (14°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 4.9" | 0.0" | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 3.9" | 1.6" | 17.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 34°F (1°C) | 20°F (-6°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 4.2" | 11.6" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 25, short of 90°F on every date, while 148 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 10°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 9, then returns to freezing around November 14, covering 148 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 2, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 3 at 27%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 121 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 24 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 20°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Lewiston.
Where Lewiston Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 20°F.
Lewiston 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
Snow: 19.4"
10.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.3"
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.3"
10.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.9"
9.9 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
9.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.6"
10.9 days with precipitation
Lewiston spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 25% of the annual total and December through February 24%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Lewiston has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 50.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 4.9" and May 3.2". 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.
When it rains in Lewiston, it arrives in quantity
45.2" of precipitation falls across only about 120 wet days here, averaging 0.38 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 120 a year, 33% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.38 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- February, about 8
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Lewiston
Lewiston averages 65.1 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 23 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 65.1 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 23 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 14% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 19
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 25
50% probability date
Growing Season
177 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,271
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
485
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside ME closest to Lewiston 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 (46°F here).
- Binghamton, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Chewelah, WA 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Delanson, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Douglas, WY 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (45.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Landisville, PA 45.2" · 0.0" off
- Rosebud, MO 45.2" · 0.0" off
- Warsaw, NY 45.2" · 0.0" off
- Warsaw, VA 45.2" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Lewiston
heating led · wet · mid swing
Lewiston's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,271 annual heating degree days against 485 for cooling. Its 50.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Lewiston's frost-free season lasts about 177 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Lewiston coldest normal
January
Averaging 20°F (-7°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Lewiston typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Lewiston snow peak
January
Lewiston averages 65.1 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Lewiston's climate
How much snow does Lewiston get? ▼
How cold does Lewiston get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Lewiston? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Lewiston's primary station: LEWISTON (USC00174566). 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 an incorporated place (GEOID 2338740). Match rule for Lewiston: 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 Lewiston 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.