Frost Dates for 05859 — Jay, Vermont

Half of springs at Jay Peak, 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 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 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the widest of the 41 Vermont stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 1 in half of years, as early as September 19 one year in ten, and holds off past October 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 18, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 138 days in a typical year, shorter than at 68% of the 41 Vermont stations; it reaches 156 days one year in ten and falls short of 119 one year in ten. On average 182 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 14 days longer, to about May 28, and return around September 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 10 and April 7.

July is the warmest month at Jay Peak, VT, averaging 74°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 24°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 88% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,567 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 41 Vermont stations. 29% of them (454) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 456.

The nearest other station, Newport, VT, 11 miles east of Jay and 1,050 feet lower, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day earlier (September 30).

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Jay usually arrives around October 23, and the last of the season around April 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Jay Peak, VT, 4.5 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 22 days after the last snow.

ZIP 05859 is 5 miles from Jay Peak, VT, which stands at 1,840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 05476 (Richford). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 05859 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.