Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Beals
Midwinter brings lows of about 9°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 67° apart. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 94% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from June to September, the months with highs of 69–76°.
A year in Beals at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Beals’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Beals’ place in Maine beside it.
What a year in Beals feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Jonesboro, ME, 14 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Beals’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 75 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Machias, ME, is heaviest from January through March, about 18 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 51 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Beals
98% 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 Jonesboro, ME.
Living with Beals’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 3 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 8.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Beals and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Beals in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Beals’, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beals, ME | 9° | 76° | 51" | 75" |
| Corinth, NY | 9° | 77° | 51" | 60" |
| Gilford, NH | 11° | 79° | 50" | 62" |
| Northfield, VT | 7° | 79° | 44" | 76" |
| Ashburnham, MA | 14° | 80° | 50" | 75" |
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.
How Beals compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Beals’ place among Maine’s.
Beals weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Machias, ME. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 9° | 4.3" | 19.0" | 13 | 18 |
| February | 32° | 12° | 3.8" | 18.6" | 12 | 18 |
| March | 39° | 22° | 4.6" | 17.3" | 13 | 11 |
| April | 51° | 32° | 4.3" | 2.6" | 13 | 2 |
| May | 61° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| June | 70° | 51° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| July | 76° | 56° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| August | 76° | 55° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| September | 69° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| October | 57° | 39° | 5.0" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 |
| November | 46° | 30° | 5.1" | 2.0" | 13 | 1 |
| December | 35° | 19° | 5.9" | 15.3" | 15 | 11 |
| Year | 54° | 35° | 50.8" | 74.9" | 153 | 62 |
Where Beals’ numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station (NOAA’s grid doesn’t cover Maine).
- Snow: Machias, ME.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Jonesboro, ME, 14 miles from the town’s center, 190 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.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Beals’ climate
What is the weather like in Beals?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 75 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Beals in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Beals get?
About 75 inches in a normal winter at Machias, ME, heaviest from January through March, about 18 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Beals?
July, with a typical high of 76° and a low of 56°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Jonesboro, ME).
When is the first and last frost in Beals?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 158 frost-free days, at Jonesboro, ME.
What growing zone is Beals in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Beals?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Beals.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.