Moosehead, Maine climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Moosehead's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 41.5 inches of precipitation and 98 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.5°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 25°C, 1,054 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMoosehead
- Station IDUSC00175460
- Location45.59°N 69.72°W
- Elevation1,037 ft (316 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Moosehead is 51°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 43%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Moosehead.
- Jan 23° 3°
- Feb 27° 2°
- Mar 36° 12°
- Apr 48° 26°
- May 63° 39°
- Jun 72° 48°
- Jul 77° 54°
- Aug 76° 51°
- Sep 68° 44°
- Oct 54° 34°
- Nov 41° 24°
- Dec 29° 12°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Moosehead each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.45 in), the least in February (2.27 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 3°F | 13.0°F | 2.69 | 20.2 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 27°F | 2°F | 14.3°F | 2.27 | 21.6 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 12°F | 23.9°F | 2.76 | 18.4 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 48°F | 26°F | 37.2°F | 3.28 | 7.5 | 12 | <1 | 24 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 39°F | 50.8°F | 3.43 | 0.3 | 14 | <1 | 6 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 72°F | 48°F | 60.0°F | 4.39 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 77°F | 54°F | 65.3°F | 4.03 | 0.0 | 15 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 76°F | 51°F | 63.3°F | 3.85 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 3.42 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 34°F | 43.8°F | 4.45 | 1.2 | 13 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 24°F | 32.4°F | 3.42 | 6.5 | 13 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 29°F | 12°F | 20.6°F | 3.50 | 22.6 | 14 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 29°F | 40.1°F | 41.49 | 98.3 | 152 | 1 | 188 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −16°C | −10.6°C | 68 mm | 51 cm |
| February | −3°C | −17°C | −9.8°C | 58 mm | 55 cm |
| March | 2°C | −11°C | −4.5°C | 70 mm | 47 cm |
| April | 9°C | −3°C | 2.9°C | 83 mm | 19 cm |
| May | 17°C | 4°C | 10.4°C | 87 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25°C | 12°C | 18.5°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.3°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.6°C | 113 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.2°C | 87 mm | 17 cm |
| December | −1°C | −11°C | −6.3°C | 89 mm | 57 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00175460; 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.
Which months are mildest at Moosehead?
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 USC00175460.
When is the last frost at Moosehead?
In Moosehead, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 30 in half of years and before September 16 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 131 year in 10 after May 29; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 301 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 137 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 158 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Moosehead in zone 4b in ZIP code 04442, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −22°F (20 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 USC00175460; 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 at Moosehead?
In a normal year in Moosehead, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 188 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 152 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
- 188a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 80high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 152a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 25a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1931) is 97°F, on June 26, 1980; the lowest is −33°F, on January 18, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2023, with 55.08 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 183.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00175460; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00175460. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Moosehead?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Moosehead, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Moosehead record?
A normal year at Moosehead brings 9,200 heating degree days, 71% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 149 cooling degree days, 84% 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 1,542 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,612 | 0 |
| February | 1,421 | 0 |
| March | 1,274 | 0 |
| April | 833 | 0 |
| May | 445 | 4 |
| June | 178 | 28 |
| July | 57 | 67 |
| August | 86 | 35 |
| September | 285 | 14 |
| October | 657 | 0 |
| November | 978 | 0 |
| December | 1,376 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,200 | 149 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00175460. 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.
Have recent years at Moosehead been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 43.2°F, 3.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.1°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42.2°F | +2.1°F | 29.99 | 73.5 |
| 2023 | 42.5°F | +2.4°F | 55.08 | 89.1 |
| 2024 | 43.2°F | +3.1°F | 37.14 | 97.6 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00175460. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Moosehead's climate compare?
Moosehead is warmer than 4 of the 42 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 4. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.1°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Moosehead 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 Moosehead's climate
What is the coldest month at Moosehead?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow at Moosehead?
Yes: 98 inches in a normal year, falling on 51 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (22.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Moosehead?
October, with 4.45 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.27 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Moosehead in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Moosehead in zone 4b in ZIP code 04442, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −22°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at Moosehead?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 29. Waiting until May 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Brassua Dam, ME7 miles from this station, 39.6°F a year
- Greenville, ME11 miles from this station, 41.1°F a year
- Pittston Farm, ME24 miles from this station, 38.8°F a year
- Jackman, ME25 miles from this station, 39.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made