Sanford, ME 04054 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Sanford, ME, ZIP 04054
Around 05/09 is the usual last spring frost, about 254 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 146 frost-free days later.
Sanford sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Sanford has about 5 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/09 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Sanford compares
About 146 days separate Sanford's last and first frost, putting it 36,020 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within ME, it ranks 335 of 456.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Sanford's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Sanford's dates instead of trusting one.