Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Bar Harbor’s winters are colder than most of the U.S.; July afternoons average 77°
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 14°.
A year in Bar Harbor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bar Harbor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bar Harbor’s place in Maine beside it.
What a year in Bar Harbor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Acadia Np, ME, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bar Harbor’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 51 inches of rain a year
October is the wettest month and August the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Bar Harbor
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Acadia Np, ME.
Living with Bar Harbor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 84 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bar Harbor from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bar Harbor and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bar Harbor in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bar Harbor averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 69% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Bar Harbor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bar Harbor’s place among Maine’s.
Bar Harbor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bar Harbor’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 14° | 4.3" | 13° – 30° |
| February | 32° | 15° | 3.4" | 10° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 24° | 4.2" | 25° – 39° |
| April | 52° | 34° | 4.4" | 39° – 48° |
| May | 63° | 43° | 3.8" | 47° – 57° |
| June | 71° | 52° | 4.2" | 58° – 66° |
| July | 77° | 58° | 3.3" | 63° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 58° | 3.1" | 64° – 70° |
| September | 68° | 51° | 4.0" | 56° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 41° | 5.6" | 44° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 32° | 5.1" | 34° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 21° | 5.3" | 22° – 36° |
| Year | 54° | 37° | 50.6" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Bar Harbor’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Bar Harbor’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Acadia Np, ME, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Bar Harbor’s climate
What is the weather like in Bar Harbor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 14°. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bar Harbor in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 141 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How hot does it get in Bar Harbor?
July, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 58°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Acadia Np, ME).
When is the first and last frost in Bar Harbor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 177 frost-free days, at Acadia Np, ME.
What growing zone is Bar Harbor in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bar Harbor?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bar Harbor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bar Harbor.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.