Frost Dates for 05667 — Plainfield, Vermont

Half of springs at Plainfield, VT see their last 32°F night by May 25; only one in ten is past it by May 9, and one in ten still has one after June 7. Planting tender crops after May 31 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 3 20%, and after June 7 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 80% of the 41 Vermont stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 22 in half of years, as early as September 9 one year in ten, and holds off past October 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 27, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 119 days in a typical year, the shortest of the 41 Vermont stations; it reaches 138 days one year in ten and falls short of 99 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 June 6, and return around September 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 9 and April 7.

July is the warmest month at Plainfield, VT, averaging 80°F by day and 53°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 3°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 29% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,743 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 83% of the 41 Vermont stations. 29% of them (514) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 511. Precipitation totals 41.1 inches a year, most in July (4.7") and least in February (2.4"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Montpelier 2, VT, 9 miles west of Plainfield and 270 feet lower, has a last frost 20 days earlier (May 5), a first frost 17 days later (October 9), a season 38 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Plainfield usually arrives around November 9, and the last of the season around April 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Plainfield, VT, 1.4 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 05667 is 1 mile from Plainfield, VT, which stands at 800 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 05667 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.