American Woolen Company Foxcroft Mill · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Dover-Foxcroft’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Dover-Foxcroft at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dover-Foxcroft’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dover-Foxcroft’s place in Maine beside it.
What a year in Dover-Foxcroft feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dover-Foxcroft’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 77 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME, is heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 138 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dover-Foxcroft
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 Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME.
Living with Dover-Foxcroft’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 15 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 50% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dover-Foxcroft from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dover-Foxcroft and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dover-Foxcroft in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dover-Foxcroft’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover-Foxcroft, ME | 6° | 79° | 45" | 77" |
| Northfield, VT | 7° | 79° | 44" | 76" |
| Malone, NY | 6° | 77° | 44" | 98" |
| Plymouth, NH | 9° | 80° | 47" | 68" |
| Dalton, MA | 13° | 80° | 48" | 77" |
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 Dover-Foxcroft averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Dover-Foxcroft compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dover-Foxcroft’s place among Maine’s.
Dover-Foxcroft weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dover-Foxcroft’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 6° | 3.3" | 18.1" | 11 | 30 | 4° – 23° |
| February | 30° | 7° | 2.7" | 19.8" | 9 | 28 | 5° – 26° |
| March | 39° | 18° | 3.4" | 15.1" | 10 | 30 | 19° – 37° |
| April | 52° | 30° | 3.6" | 4.7" | 11 | 14 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 51° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| July | 79° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| August | 77° | 54° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 70° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 5.1" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 40° – 53° |
| November | 43° | 27° | 4.1" | 3.9" | 11 | 5 | 31° – 40° |
| December | 32° | 16° | 4.1" | 15.1" | 13 | 23 | 18° – 32° |
| Year | 54° | 32° | 45.3" | 77.3" | 138 | 129 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 26°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dover-Foxcroft’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 Dover-Foxcroft’s center.
- Snow: Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Dover-Foxcroft’s climate
What is the weather like in Dover-Foxcroft?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 77 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 Dover-Foxcroft in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 188 nights a year reach 32° or below and 34 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Dover-Foxcroft get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter at Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME, heaviest from January through February, about 19 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 129 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dover-Foxcroft?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 56°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME).
When is the first and last frost in Dover-Foxcroft?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 134 frost-free days, at Dover-foxcroft Wwtp, ME.
What growing zone is Dover-Foxcroft in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dover-Foxcroft?
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 Dover-Foxcroft getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dover-Foxcroft.
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.