Frost Dates for 05033 — Bradford, Vermont

Half of springs at Corinth, VT see their last 32°F night by May 14; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 29. Planting tender crops after May 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 24 20%, and after May 29 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 24% of the 41 Vermont stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 29 in half of years, as early as September 14 one year in ten, and holds off past October 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 15, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 136 days in a typical year, shorter than at 76% of the 41 Vermont stations; it reaches 154 days one year in ten and falls short of 116 one year in ten. On average 183 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about May 27, and return around September 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and April 3.

July is the warmest month at Corinth, VT, averaging 77°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 4°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 89% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,642 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 90% of the 41 Vermont stations. 30% of them (492) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 503.

The nearest other station, Benton 5 SW, NH, 11 miles east of Bradford, has a last frost 1 day later (May 15), a first frost 1 day earlier (September 28), a season 3 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bradford usually arrives around November 20, and the last of the season around April 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at South Newbury, VT, 5.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 05033 is 8 miles from Corinth, VT, which stands at 1,180 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 05033 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.