Waterville, ME 04988 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waterville, ME?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 159 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 6 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
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waterville compares
At roughly 159 frost-free days, Waterville places 32,609 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within ME, it ranks 171 of 456.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Waterville can differ from the 04988 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Waterville's frost date answer different questions.