Waterville, ME 04294 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waterville, ME?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/16, roughly 261 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/26, about 130 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Waterville in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Waterville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Waterville's last frost
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waterville compares
About 130 days separate Waterville's last and first frost, putting it 38,354 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within ME, it ranks 420 of 456.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Waterville's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Waterville can differ from the 04294 normal.