Frost Dates for 05149 — Ludlow, Vermont

Half of springs at Cavendish, VT see their last 32°F night by May 16; only one in ten is past it by May 1, and one in ten still has one after May 31. Planting tender crops after May 21 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 25 20%, and after May 31 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 16 one year in ten, and holds off past October 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 15, 16 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 153 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 12 days longer, to about May 28, and return around September 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 16 and April 1.

July is the warmest month at Cavendish, VT, averaging 82°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 30°F and 8°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,114 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 51% of the 41 Vermont stations. 30% of them (642) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 589. Precipitation totals 46.6 inches a year, most in October (4.9") and least in February (2.7"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Springfield Hartness Airport, VT, 11 miles southeast of Ludlow and 264 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days earlier (May 13), a first frost 4 days later (October 3), a season 7 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ludlow usually arrives around November 8, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cavendish, VT, 5.7 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 05149 is 6 miles from Cavendish, VT, which stands at 842 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 05149 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.