Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Bethel
July afternoons average 79°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.9° higher. Plan time outside from May to September, when highs sit at 66–79°.
A year in Bethel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bethel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bethel’s place in Maine beside it.
What a year in Bethel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 139 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rumford 6sw, ME, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bethel’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 76 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at West Paris, ME, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bethel
97% 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 Rumford 6sw, ME.
Living with Bethel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
139 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 12 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 52 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bethel from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bethel and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bethel in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bethel’s, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel, ME | 7° | 79° | 49" | 76" |
| Delhi, NY | 13° | 79° | 46" | 71" |
| Dalton, MA | 13° | 80° | 48" | 77" |
| Bennington, VT | 13° | 81° | 44" | 75" |
| Bradford, PA | 15° | 80° | 44" | 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.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bethel averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 86% 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 Bethel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bethel’s place among Maine’s.
Bethel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bethel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from West Paris, ME. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 7° | 3.5" | 19.5" | 9 | 6° – 25° |
| February | 31° | 8° | 2.9" | 16.3" | 8 | 7° – 26° |
| March | 39° | 18° | 3.6" | 19.2" | 10 | 20° – 37° |
| April | 53° | 29° | 4.2" | 4.2" | 9 | 37° – 46° |
| May | 66° | 40° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 10 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 66° |
| July | 79° | 55° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 62° – 71° |
| August | 78° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 63° – 68° |
| September | 70° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 54° – 62° |
| October | 57° | 36° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 44° | 26° | 4.4" | 3.5" | 11 | 30° – 40° |
| December | 33° | 16° | 4.3" | 13.0" | 10 | 18° – 34° |
| Year | 54° | 32° | 49.4" | 76.1" | 117 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Bethel’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 Bethel’s center.
- Snow: West Paris, ME.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rumford 6sw, ME, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower; 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 Bethel’s climate
What is the weather like in Bethel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bethel in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Bethel get?
About 76 inches in a normal winter at West Paris, ME, most of it in January and March.
How hot does it get in Bethel?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 55°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Rumford 6sw, ME).
When is the first and last frost in Bethel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 139 frost-free days, at Rumford 6sw, ME.
What growing zone is Bethel in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bethel?
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 Bethel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bethel.
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.