Rangeley, Maine climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rangeley's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 42.6 inches of precipitation and 123 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.1°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 25°C, 1,083 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRangeley
- Station IDUSC00177037
- Location44.97°N 70.64°W
- Elevation1,530 ft (466 m)
- Population (town)1,322
- Census place532
On October 23, the normal high in Rangeley is 50°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 46%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rangeley.
- Jan 23° 0°
- Feb 27° 0°
- Mar 36° 9°
- Apr 48° 25°
- May 63° 37°
- Jun 72° 48°
- Jul 76° 53°
- Aug 75° 51°
- Sep 68° 44°
- Oct 54° 33°
- Nov 40° 23°
- Dec 29° 11°
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 Rangeley each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F. The most precipitation falls in October (4.61 in), the least in February (2.40 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 0°F | 11.7°F | 2.82 | 24.3 | 15 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 27°F | 0°F | 13.2°F | 2.40 | 25.7 | 12 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 9°F | 22.6°F | 2.99 | 24.4 | 13 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 48°F | 25°F | 36.4°F | 3.27 | 8.6 | 13 | <1 | 26 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 63°F | 37°F | 49.7°F | 3.65 | 0.5 | 14 | <1 | 10 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 72°F | 48°F | 59.6°F | 4.36 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 76°F | 53°F | 64.6°F | 4.04 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 75°F | 51°F | 63.0°F | 4.07 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 44°F | 55.8°F | 3.45 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 33°F | 43.4°F | 4.61 | 2.3 | 14 | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 23°F | 31.8°F | 3.36 | 8.8 | 14 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 29°F | 11°F | 19.9°F | 3.62 | 28.7 | 17 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 28°F | 39.3°F | 42.64 | 123.3 | 167 | 1 | 200 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −18°C | −11.3°C | 72 mm | 62 cm |
| February | −3°C | −18°C | −10.4°C | 61 mm | 65 cm |
| March | 2°C | −13°C | −5.2°C | 76 mm | 62 cm |
| April | 9°C | −4°C | 2.4°C | 83 mm | 22 cm |
| May | 17°C | 3°C | 9.8°C | 93 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 22°C | 9°C | 15.3°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25°C | 12°C | 18.1°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 10°C | 17.2°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.2°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 117 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 5°C | −5°C | −0.1°C | 85 mm | 22 cm |
| December | −2°C | −12°C | −6.7°C | 92 mm | 73 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00177037; 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 Rangeley?
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 USC00177037.
When is the last frost in Rangeley?
In Rangeley, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 23 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 27 in half of years and before September 14 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 231 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 271 year in 10 before September 14; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 127 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 150 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rangeley in zone 4b in ZIP code 04970, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Rangeley's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −27°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Maine · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00177037; 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 Rangeley?
In a normal year in Rangeley, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 200 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 167 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
- 200a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 84high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 167a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 33a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1969) is 94°F, on September 10, 2002; the lowest is −45°F, on January 20, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2005, with 54.63 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 194.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00177037; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00177037. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Rangeley?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rangeley, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (76%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.6 |
| February | 67% | 2.5 |
| March | 69% | 3.6 |
| April | 67% | 4.6 |
| May | 66% | 5.2 |
| June | 68% | 5.6 |
| July | 74% | 5.7 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 76% | 4.2 |
| October | 66% | 2.6 |
| November | 64% | 1.7 |
| December | 60% | 1.2 |
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 Rangeley need?
A normal year in Rangeley brings 9,466 heating degree days, 76% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 136 cooling degree days, 85% 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 1,483 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,652 | 0 |
| February | 1,452 | 0 |
| March | 1,316 | 0 |
| April | 860 | 0 |
| May | 476 | 3 |
| June | 188 | 24 |
| July | 72 | 58 |
| August | 100 | 38 |
| September | 288 | 12 |
| October | 668 | 0 |
| November | 995 | 0 |
| December | 1,400 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,466 | 136 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00177037. 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 Rangeley been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 39.8°F, 0.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.3°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.8°F | +2.5°F | 27.17 | 66.9 |
| 2022 | 40.6°F | +1.3°F | 46.75 | 92.2 |
| 2023 | 42.3°F | +3.0°F | 50.82 | 81.8 |
| 2024 | 42.6°F | +3.3°F | 44.96 | 106.3 |
| 2025 | 39.8°F | +0.5°F | 35.96 | – |
Over 48 complete years from 1973 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.0°F per century (+0.28°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00177037; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rangeley's climate compare?
Rangeley is warmer than 3 of the other 41 places with their own NOAA record in Maine, and wetter than 9. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.3°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rangeley 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.
What do Rangeley's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Rangeley. This page uses Rangeley; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangeley (2 mi NW) USC00177039 | 2 mi NW | 1,780 ft | 38.8°F | 2°F | 75°F | 40.8 | 118 | May 23 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Rangeley's climate
What is the coldest month in Rangeley?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow in Rangeley?
Yes: 123 inches in a normal year, falling on 66 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (28.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Rangeley?
October, with 4.61 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.40 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rangeley in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rangeley in zone 4b in ZIP code 04970, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Rangeley's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −27°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Rangeley?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 23; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Maine climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eustis, ME19 miles from this station, 39.1°F a year
- Middle Dam, ME19 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Andover 2, ME23 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Long Falls Dam, ME28 miles from this station, 40.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made