Orono, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Orono's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.3°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationOrono
- Station IDUSC00176430
- Location44.90°N 68.67°W
- Elevation115 ft (35 m)
- Population (town)12,199
- Census place10,699
On October 22, the normal high in Orono is 54°F and the normal low 36°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Orono.
- Jan 28° 11°
- Feb 32° 13°
- Mar 41° 21°
- Apr 53° 32°
- May 66° 43°
- Jun 75° 52°
- Jul 81° 58°
- Aug 79° 57°
- Sep 70° 48°
- Oct 57° 38°
- Nov 45° 29°
- Dec 35° 18°
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 Orono each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 11°F | 19.3°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 32°F | 13°F | 22.7°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 21°F | 31.1°F | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 32°F | 42.5°F | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 43°F | 54.6°F | – | <1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 52°F | 63.3°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 58°F | 69.6°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 57°F | 68.0°F | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 48°F | 59.0°F | – | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 38°F | 47.2°F | – | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 45°F | 29°F | 37.1°F | – | <1 | 19 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 18°F | 26.5°F | – | <1 | 28 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 35°F | 45.1°F | – | 9 | 164 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −12°C | −7.1°C |
| February | 0°C | −11°C | −5.2°C |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.5°C |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.8°C |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.6°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.4°C |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 20.0°C |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 15.0°C |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.4°C |
| November | 7°C | −2°C | 2.8°C |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bangor (10 miles away), gets 75 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00176430; 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 Orono?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00176430.
When is the last frost in Orono?
In Orono, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 6 in half of years and before September 24 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 11 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 61 year in 10 before September 24; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 157 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 183 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Orono in zone 5a across its 2 ZIP code areas (5a in 04473, the largest).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Maine · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00176430; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Orono ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Orono's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 5a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Orono?
In a normal year in Orono, 9 days a year reach 90°F and 164 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 164a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 59high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 104°F, on August 18, 1935; the lowest is −40°F, on January 17, 1907.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 57.08 in; the snowiest season is 1962–63, with 154.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00176430; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00176430. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Orono?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Orono, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (77%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.6 |
| February | 67% | 2.4 |
| March | 69% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 67% | 5.3 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 75% | 5.8 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 77% | 4.2 |
| October | 69% | 2.7 |
| November | 65% | 1.7 |
| December | 61% | 1.3 |
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 Orono need?
A normal year in Orono brings 7,604 heating degree days, 42% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 374 cooling degree days, 59% 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 2,094 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,417 | 0 |
| February | 1,186 | 0 |
| March | 1,049 | 0 |
| April | 677 | 0 |
| May | 328 | 5 |
| June | 111 | 62 |
| July | 20 | 162 |
| August | 31 | 123 |
| September | 201 | 22 |
| October | 553 | 0 |
| November | 839 | 0 |
| December | 1,193 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,604 | 374 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00176430. 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.
How does Orono's climate compare?
Orono is warmer than 28 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.1°F is warmer than 20%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Orono share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Veazie, ME1,844 people · 4 mi SW
- Bradley, ME1,566 people · 3 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.
Questions about Orono's climate
What is the coldest month in Orono?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Orono?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Orono's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bangor (10 miles away), records 75 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Orono in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Orono in zone 5a across its 2 ZIP code areas (5a in 04473, the largest).
How late can frost come in Orono?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Old, ME2 miles from this station, 43.2°F a year
- Bangor, ME10 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Corinna, ME28 miles from this station, 44.5°F a year
- East Surry, ME30 miles from this station, 44.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made