Millinocket, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Millinocket's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 42.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.0°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 26°C, 1,082 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMillinocket Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014610
- Location45.65°N 68.69°W
- Elevation406 ft (124 m)
- Population (town)4,116
- Census place4,111
On October 9, the normal high in Millinocket is 59°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 40%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Millinocket.
- Jan 25° 6°
- Feb 28° 7°
- Mar 38° 18°
- Apr 51° 30°
- May 65° 42°
- Jun 74° 52°
- Jul 79° 57°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 69° 47°
- Oct 56° 37°
- Nov 42° 27°
- Dec 31° 15°
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 Millinocket each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.55 in), the least in February (2.13 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 6°F | 15.5°F | 2.70 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| February | 28°F | 7°F | 17.6°F | 2.13 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 18°F | 27.6°F | 2.97 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 30°F | 40.4°F | 3.51 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 42°F | 53.2°F | 3.42 | 13 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 74°F | 52°F | 62.6°F | 4.20 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 79°F | 57°F | 68.2°F | 4.16 | 14 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.5°F | 3.80 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 69°F | 47°F | 58.2°F | 3.61 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 37°F | 46.0°F | 4.55 | 13 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 27°F | 34.6°F | 4.10 | 11 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 31°F | 15°F | 23.0°F | 3.45 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 33°F | 42.8°F | 42.60 | 142 | 4 | 169 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −14°C | −9.2°C | 69 mm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −8.0°C | 54 mm |
| March | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C | 75 mm |
| April | 10°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 89 mm |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.8°C | 87 mm |
| June | 23°C | 11°C | 17.0°C | 107 mm |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 106 mm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 97 mm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.6°C | 92 mm |
| October | 13°C | 3°C | 7.8°C | 116 mm |
| November | 6°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 104 mm |
| December | −1°C | −9°C | −5.0°C | 88 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Millinocket's own co-op station Millinocket station does: 86 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014610; 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 Millinocket?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USW00014610.
When is the last frost in Millinocket?
In Millinocket, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 19 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 81 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 143 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 168 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 28 in half of springs and before October 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Millinocket in zone 5a in ZIP code 04430, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Millinocket's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (21 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 USW00014610; 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 Millinocket?
In a normal year in Millinocket, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 169 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 142 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 169a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 71high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 142a normal year
The highest temperature in Millinocket's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1903) is 101°F, on June 18, 1907; the lowest is −41°F, on January 19, 1925.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2005, with 60.92 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 163.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014610; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MLTthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Millinocket?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Millinocket, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (74%) and December the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.5 |
| February | 66% | 2.4 |
| March | 69% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 65% | 5.1 |
| June | 67% | 5.5 |
| July | 72% | 5.6 |
| August | 73% | 5.0 |
| September | 74% | 4.0 |
| October | 65% | 2.5 |
| November | 61% | 1.5 |
| December | 59% | 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 Millinocket need?
A normal year in Millinocket brings 8,351 heating degree days, 55% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 293 cooling degree days, 68% 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 1,929 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,536 | 0 |
| February | 1,327 | 0 |
| March | 1,158 | 0 |
| April | 740 | 0 |
| May | 373 | 7 |
| June | 118 | 48 |
| July | 26 | 123 |
| August | 44 | 90 |
| September | 228 | 24 |
| October | 590 | 1 |
| November | 912 | 0 |
| December | 1,300 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,351 | 293 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014610. 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 Millinocket been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 43.5°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.4°F | +2.6°F | 37.92 |
| 2022 | 44.4°F | +1.6°F | 48.51 |
| 2023 | 45.4°F | +2.6°F | 50.17 |
| 2024 | 46.2°F | +3.4°F | – |
| 2025 | 43.5°F | +0.7°F | 36.78 |
Over 43 complete years from 1945 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.1°F per century (+0.06°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014610; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Millinocket's climate compare?
Millinocket is warmer than 12 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.8°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Millinocket 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 Millinocket share this climate record?
East Millinocket has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- East Millinocket, ME1,566 people · 6 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Millinocket's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Millinocket. This page uses Millinocket Municipal Airport; the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millinocket Wastewater USC00175305 | 1 mi SE | 360 ft | 41.0°F | 3°F | 79°F | 46.1 | – | May 17 |
| Millinocket station USC00175304 | 1 mi W | 360 ft | 42.3°F | 5°F | 79°F | 45.4 | 86 | May 9 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Millinocket's climate
What is the coldest month in Millinocket?
January, with a normal high of 25°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Millinocket?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Millinocket's NOAA station; Millinocket's own co-op station Millinocket station records 86 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Millinocket?
October, with 4.55 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.13 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Millinocket in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Millinocket in zone 5a in ZIP code 04430, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Millinocket's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Millinocket?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lincoln, ME21 miles from this station, 43.1°F a year
- Patten, ME28 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Barnard, ME33 miles from this station, 42.4°F a year
- Sebec Lake, ME38 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made