Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in Maine can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Caribou, the snowiest place in Maine.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which Maine cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in Maine with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Pine Tree State.
108.4 inches of snow per year
Located in
Aroostook County, Maine
Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 8,189 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.3 inches of snow per year
91.8 inches of snow per year
Located in
Aroostook County, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,171 in 2015 as estimated by the US Census, a decrease from the count of 9,692 in the 2010 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, Husson University Presque Isle, Northern Maine Fairgrounds, The Aroostook Centre Mall, and the Northern Maine Regional Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
79.9 inches of snow per year
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
77.9 inches of snow per year
73.9 inches of snow per year
71.2 inches of snow per year
71.2 inches of snow per year
71.0 inches of snow per year
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,840 at the 2010 census. The city’s developed area is chiefly located on relatively large Marsh Island, though its boundaries extend beyond that. The island is surrounded and defined by the Penobscot River to the east, and the Stillwater River to the west.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
70.2 inches of snow per year
Located in
Hancock County, Maine
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2010 Census determined it had a population of 7,741. Ellsworth was Maine’s fastest growing city from 2000-2010, with a growth rate of nearly 20 percent. With historic buildings and other points of interest, Ellsworth is popular with tourists.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maine’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Maine’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In Maine With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in Maine, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Pine Tree State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in Maine.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Portland (66.6 inches), Lewiston (68.0 inches), and Bangor (66.8 inches).
The snowiest cities in Maine are Caribou, Chisholm, Presque Isle, Calais, South Paris, Lisbon Falls, Steep Falls, South Windham, Old Town, and Ellsworth.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In Maine
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caribou | 108.4 | 7,960 |
| 2 | Chisholm | 93.3 | 1,209 |
| 3 | Presque Isle | 91.8 | 9,378 |
| 4 | Calais | 79.9 | 3,038 |
| 5 | South Paris | 77.9 | 2,854 |
| 6 | Lisbon Falls | 73.9 | 4,128 |
| 7 | Steep Falls | 71.2 | 1,227 |
| 8 | South Windham | 71.2 | 1,140 |
| 9 | Old Town | 71.0 | 7,726 |
| 10 | Ellsworth | 70.2 | 7,832 |
| 11 | Augusta | 69.0 | 18,772 |
| 12 | Hallowell | 68.9 | 2,514 |
| 13 | Auburn | 68.8 | 22,916 |
| 14 | Waterville | 68.7 | 15,989 |
| 15 | Westbrook | 68.3 | 17,754 |
| 16 | Lewiston | 68.0 | 36,356 |
| 17 | Brewer | 67.4 | 9,341 |
| 18 | Bangor | 66.8 | 32,695 |
| 19 | Portland | 66.6 | 66,490 |
| 20 | Gardiner | 66.5 | 5,697 |
| 21 | Bath | 65.6 | 8,349 |
| 22 | Belfast | 63.4 | 6,668 |
| 23 | South Portland | 62.9 | 25,304 |
| 24 | South Eliot | 61.2 | 3,740 |
| 25 | Lake Arrowhead | 61.2 | 2,477 |
| 26 | West Kennebunk | 61.2 | 1,062 |
| 27 | Eastport | 59.1 | 1,365 |
| 28 | Saco | 58.9 | 18,874 |
| 29 | Rockland | 57.5 | 7,233 |
| 30 | Biddeford | 57.1 | 21,289 |
| 31 | York Harbor | 53.7 | 3,003 |
| 32 | Cape Neddick | 53.1 | 2,780 |
| 33 | Brunswick | 15,453 | |
| 34 | Orono | 9,522 | |
| 35 | Old Orchard Beach | 8,697 | |
| 36 | Winslow | 7,661 | |
| 37 | Topsham | 6,483 | |
| 38 | Gorham | 6,445 | |
| 39 | Skowhegan | 6,260 | |
| 40 | Yarmouth | 5,628 | |
| 41 | Kennebunk | 5,621 | |
| 42 | Houlton | 4,778 | |
| 43 | North Windham | 4,671 | |
| 44 | Scarborough | 4,601 | |
| 45 | Kittery | 4,515 | |
| 46 | Millinocket | 4,419 | |
| 47 | Rumford | 4,214 | |
| 48 | Farmington | 3,795 | |
| 49 | Hampden | 3,468 | |
| 50 | Camden | 3,304 | |
| 51 | Pittsfield | 3,110 | |
| 52 | Fairfield | 3,105 | |
| 53 | Lincoln | 2,688 | |
| 54 | Cumberland Center | 2,664 | |
| 55 | Winthrop | 2,651 | |
| 56 | Madawaska | 2,623 | |
| 57 | Bar Harbor | 2,585 | |
| 58 | Bucksport | 2,481 | |
| 59 | Oakland | 2,448 | |
| 60 | Dover-Foxcroft | 2,445 | |
| 61 | Berwick | 2,412 | |
| 62 | Madison | 2,372 | |
| 63 | Fort Kent | 2,345 | |
| 64 | Norway | 2,341 | |
| 65 | Milford | 2,239 | |
| 66 | Bridgton | 2,214 | |
| 67 | Dexter | 2,087 | |
| 68 | Falmouth | 2,051 | |
| 69 | Wilton | 2,036 | |
| 70 | Thomaston | 2,031 | |
| 71 | Farmingdale | 1,969 | |
| 72 | Richmond | 1,942 | |
| 73 | Milo | 1,923 | |
| 74 | Van Buren | 1,877 | |
| 75 | Fryeburg | 1,797 | |
| 76 | North Berwick | 1,792 | |
| 77 | Randolph | 1,792 | |
| 78 | Fort Fairfield | 1,763 | |
| 79 | East Millinocket | 1,717 | |
| 80 | Falmouth Foreside | 1,702 | |
| 81 | Mechanic Falls | 1,649 | |
| 82 | Newport | 1,616 | |
| 83 | Mexico | 1,574 | |
| 84 | Oxford | 1,538 | |
| 85 | Freeport | 1,507 | |
| 86 | Greenville | 1,453 | |
| 87 | Livermore Falls | 1,366 | |
| 88 | Limestone | 1,257 | |
| 89 | Gray | 1,225 | |
| 90 | Machias | 1,206 | |
| 91 | Norridgewock | 1,198 | |
| 92 | Howland | 1,193 | |
| 93 | Wiscasset | 1,193 | |
| 94 | Waldoboro | 1,135 | |
| 95 | Kittery Point | 1,112 | |
| 96 | Winterport | 1,110 | |
| 97 | Damariscotta | 1,095 | |
| 98 | Kennebunkport | 1,078 | |
| 99 | Clinton | 1,076 | |
| 100 | Searsport | 1,059 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 102 Maine cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In Maine For 2026
If you’re looking for the Maine cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in Maine are Caribou, Chisholm, Presque Isle, Calais, South Paris, Lisbon Falls, Steep Falls, South Windham, Old Town, and Ellsworth. Not sold on Maine? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In Maine FAQs
What is the snowiest city in Maine?
Caribou is the snowiest city in Maine for 2026, with 108.4 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. Chisholm and Presque Isle are next.
What are the snowiest cities in Maine?
The snowiest cities in Maine are Caribou, Chisholm, Presque Isle, Calais, South Paris, Lisbon Falls, Steep Falls, South Windham, Old Town, and Ellsworth. We ranked all 102 Maine cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do Maine’s biggest cities get?
Portland averages 66.6 inches of snow a year, Lewiston gets 68.0, and Bangor gets 66.8. Wherever you land in Maine, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
Guilford gets the least snow of the 102 Maine cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
