Your nature year
Portland, Mainethrough the year
Also for South Portland, ME, Lewiston, ME, Auburn, ME: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Portland?
The closest place we follow is Ferry Beach State Park, 15 miles away, for fall foliage, usually well under way by mid-October (statewide). Portland sits close to sea level, at about 0 feet. Frost usually lets go around Apr 26 and comes back around Oct 15, according to the nearest NOAA station, Portland Jetport: roughly 172 days without it. Spring takes about 5 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Apr 19 and first bloom around May 22. We follow 20 places within 150 miles of Portland; the nearest lies 15 miles to the southwest. Across Maine, fall color is usually well under way by mid-October.
Updated Sep 28. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Best this weekend nearby
- Nulhegan Basin · 117 mi · Fall foliage
Usually Oct 1–10
Sat Oct 3: Mostly Sunny, 55°F · Sun Oct 4: Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers, 58°F
No report yet
Places in their own usual window that weekend; reports are the latest official ones, forecasts from the National Weather Service. 7 more nearby places have only regional or statewide timing, so they aren't listed.
Portland's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 26 to ~Oct 15
- First leaf ~Apr 19
- First bloom ~May 22
- Fall color under way ~Oct 11 (ME)
- Today
Near Portland right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by mid-October in MaineStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~13 days
- First fall frost usually around Oct 15 · last spring frost around Apr 26NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Portland Jetport (6 mi, 50% dates)~2 weeks
- Fall foliage · Ferry Beach State Park · 15 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~10 days
Portland's nature year
- Spring green-upApr
- Last spring frostApr
- Fall color (ME)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Ferry Beach State Park · 15 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~10 days
- Bradbury Mountain State Park · 18 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~10 days
- Rachel Carson Refuge · 19 miusually Oct 11–20~13 days
Snow in Portland
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 25 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Portland Jetport (6 mi away): 69 inches of snow in an average year, about 16.4 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 26
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 15
About 172 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 19
First bloom around May 22
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Portland Jetport (6 mi from Portland), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Portland?
On average around Oct 15, and the last spring frost around Apr 26: about 172 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Portland Jetport, 6 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Portland?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 19 and first bloom around May 22, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Portland?
Ferry Beach State Park, 15 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October); Bradbury Mountain State Park, 18 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October); Rachel Carson Refuge, 19 miles (usually Oct 11–20). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Portland?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 25: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Portland Jetport. An average year brings 69 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)