Sanford, ME Climate

Sanford, ME has a humid continental climate, with mild summers and cold winters. Spring and autumn temperatures are generally pleasant and moderate. Summers typically reach into the 80s (F) in the daytime and cool off to the mid-50s at night. Winters can be quite cold, often reaching single digits during the day and dropping below zero at night. Snowfall is common here, usually beginning in late November and lasting through April or early May. The total yearly precipitation averages around 41 inches, mostly coming from rain showers during the warmer months.

Sanford, Maine gets 50 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Sanford averages 60 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 200 sunny days per year in Sanford. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Sanford gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 127 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 82 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 11
Rain: averages 50 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 60 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Sanford is 6.6 (10=best), which means it is one of the most pleasant places in Maine.

9.1 Summer - 4.3 Winter

August, July and June are the most pleasant months in Sanford, while January and February are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Sanford, Maine	United States
	49.9 in.	38.1 in.
	60.1 in.	27.8 in.
	126.6 days	106.2 days
	200 days	205 days
	81.5°	85.8°
	11.1°	21.7°
	6.6	7
	2.9	4.3
	302 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Sanford with an average high temperature of 81.5°, which ranks it as one of the hottest places in Maine. In Sanford, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Sanford are June, August and July.

In Sanford, there are 6.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is one of the hottest places in Maine.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Sanford with an average of 11.1°. This is warmer than most places in Maine.

In Sanford, there are 159.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in Maine.

In Sanford, there are 12.4 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Maine.

Humidity in Sanford is generally quite low and comfortable. There are few days during the summer when the humidity becomes unpleasant. The most humid months (but still comfortable) are July, August and June.

November is the wettest month in Sanford with 4.9 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 3.4 inches. The wettest season is Summer with 27% of yearly precipitation and 21% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 49.9 inches in Sanford means that it is wetter than most places in Maine.

June is the rainiest month in Sanford with 12.7 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 8.1 rainy days. There are 126.6 rainy days annually in Sanford, which is less rainy than most places in Maine. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 26% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 24% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 60.1 inches in Sanford means that it is less snowy than most places in Maine. January is the snowiest month in Sanford with 16.9 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.