Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domainMillinocket gets about 86 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 79° on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 73°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 95% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about May 8; in half of years the first frost comes by October 1.
A year in Millinocket at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Millinocket’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Millinocket’s place in Maine beside it.
What a year in Millinocket feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 8 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Millinocket Muni Airport, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Millinocket’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 86 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Millinocket, ME, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; October is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 134 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Millinocket
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 Millinocket Muni Airport.
Living with Millinocket’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 8 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 38 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Millinocket from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Millinocket and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Millinocket yet.
Climates most like Millinocket’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millinocket, ME | 6° | 79° | 43" | 86" |
| St. Johnsbury, VT | 5° | 79° | 41" | 87" |
| Malone, NY | 7° | 79° | 41" | 98" |
| Berlin, NH | 5° | 77° | 45" | 82" |
| Adams, MA | 13° | 81° | 45" | 77" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Millinocket averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.5°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Millinocket compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Millinocket’s place among Maine’s.
Millinocket weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Millinocket’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Millinocket, ME. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 6° | 3.0" | 23.3" | 11 | 3° – 23° |
| February | 28° | 7° | 2.5" | 19.1" | 9 | 6° – 25° |
| March | 38° | 17° | 3.0" | 18.6" | 10 | 20° – 36° |
| April | 51° | 29° | 3.4" | 4.5" | 10 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 51° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 59° – 66° |
| July | 79° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 62° – 71° |
| August | 78° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 70° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 4.6" | 0.4" | 12 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 43° | 27° | 3.9" | 3.6" | 11 | 29° – 40° |
| December | 31° | 15° | 3.8" | 16.6" | 11 | 17° – 32° |
| Year | 53° | 32° | 42.8" | 86.1" | 134 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 23°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Millinocket’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 Millinocket’s center.
- Snow: Millinocket, ME (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Millinocket Muni Airport, 0.5 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 Millinocket’s climate
What is the weather like in Millinocket?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 86 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Millinocket in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 169 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 3°.
How much snow does Millinocket get?
About 86 inches in a normal winter at Millinocket, ME, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Millinocket?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 57°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Millinocket Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Millinocket?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 8 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 143 frost-free days, at Millinocket Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Millinocket in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Millinocket?
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 Millinocket getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Millinocket.
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.