Limestone, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Limestone's normal year runs from −1°F January nights to 75°F July afternoons, with 43.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.7°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 24°C, 1,094 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLimestone (4 mi NNW)
- Station IDUSW00094645
- Location46.96°N 67.88°W
- Elevation737 ft (225 m)
- Population (town)1,496
- Census place1,120
On October 23, the normal high in Limestone is 48°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 47%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Limestone.
- Jan 19° -1°
- Feb 23° 1°
- Mar 33° 13°
- Apr 46° 27°
- May 61° 39°
- Jun 70° 48°
- Jul 75° 54°
- Aug 74° 52°
- Sep 66° 44°
- Oct 51° 34°
- Nov 38° 23°
- Dec 26° 10°
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 Limestone each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 75°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −1°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.14 in), the least in February (2.62 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | −1°F | 9.4°F | 3.38 | 17 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 23°F | 1°F | 11.8°F | 2.62 | 15 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 33°F | 13°F | 23.0°F | 3.05 | 14 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 46°F | 27°F | 36.5°F | 3.28 | 15 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 61°F | 39°F | 50.1°F | 3.66 | 15 | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 70°F | 48°F | 59.2°F | 3.83 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 75°F | 54°F | 64.3°F | 4.14 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 74°F | 52°F | 62.9°F | 3.92 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 66°F | 44°F | 54.7°F | 3.78 | 12 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 51°F | 34°F | 42.3°F | 4.06 | 14 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 23°F | 30.7°F | 3.52 | 14 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 26°F | 10°F | 18.0°F | 3.84 | 18 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 29°F | 38.6°F | 43.08 | 179 | 1 | 190 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −18°C | −12.6°C | 86 mm |
| February | −5°C | −17°C | −11.2°C | 67 mm |
| March | 0°C | −10°C | −5.0°C | 77 mm |
| April | 8°C | −3°C | 2.5°C | 83 mm |
| May | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 93 mm |
| June | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 97 mm |
| July | 24°C | 12°C | 17.9°C | 105 mm |
| August | 23°C | 11°C | 17.2°C | 100 mm |
| September | 19°C | 7°C | 12.6°C | 96 mm |
| October | 11°C | 1°C | 5.7°C | 103 mm |
| November | 3°C | −5°C | −0.7°C | 89 mm |
| December | −3°C | −12°C | −7.8°C | 98 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Caribou (9 miles away), gets 118 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094645; 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 Limestone?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (12).
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 USW00094645.
When is the last frost in Limestone?
In Limestone, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 in half of years and before September 12 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 161 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 129 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 153 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Limestone in zone 4a in ZIP code 04750, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Limestone's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (18 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 USW00094645; 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 Limestone?
In a normal year in Limestone, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 190 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 179 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 190a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 97high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 179a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2002) is 95°F, on June 19, 2024; the lowest is −38°F, on January 17, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2011, with 56.08 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094645; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094645. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Limestone?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Limestone, 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 much heating and cooling does Limestone need?
A normal year in Limestone brings 9,724 heating degree days, 81% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 131 cooling degree days, 86% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,435 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,723 | 0 |
| February | 1,490 | 0 |
| March | 1,304 | 0 |
| April | 857 | 0 |
| May | 467 | 5 |
| June | 196 | 22 |
| July | 76 | 54 |
| August | 104 | 41 |
| September | 319 | 10 |
| October | 702 | 0 |
| November | 1,029 | 0 |
| December | 1,459 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,724 | 131 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094645. 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 Limestone been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 39.7°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 38.6°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.4°F | +2.8°F | 37.92 |
| 2022 | 40.2°F | +1.6°F | 47.98 |
| 2023 | 41.5°F | +2.9°F | 44.68 |
| 2024 | 42.7°F | +4.1°F | 37.82 |
| 2025 | 39.7°F | +1.1°F | 41.19 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094645. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Limestone's climate compare?
Limestone is warmer than 2 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 10. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.6°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Limestone 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 Limestone's climate
What is the coldest month in Limestone?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of −1°F. The warmest is July (75°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Limestone?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Limestone's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Caribou (9 miles away), records 118 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Limestone?
July, with 4.14 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.62 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Limestone in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Limestone in zone 4a in ZIP code 04750, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Limestone's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Limestone?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Caribou, ME9 miles from this station, 40.7°F a year
- Van Buren, ME14 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Presque Isle, ME22 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- Frenchville Aroostook Airport, ME30 miles from this station, 40.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made