Frost Dates for 06068 — Salisbury, Connecticut

Half of springs at Falls Village, CT see their last 32°F night by May 11; only one in ten is past it by April 27, and one in ten still has one after May 27. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 22 20%, and after May 27 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 82% of the 28 Connecticut stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 4 in half of years, as early as September 21 one year in ten, and holds off past October 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 146 days in a typical year, the shortest of the 28 Connecticut stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 126 one year in ten. On average 156 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 23, and return around September 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 22 and March 24.

July is the warmest month at Falls Village, CT, averaging 85°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 14°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 78% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,576 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 75% of the 28 Connecticut stations. 31% of them (811) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 662. Precipitation totals 47.0 inches a year, most in June (4.8") and least in February (2.6"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Copake, NY, 9 miles northwest of Salisbury, has a last frost 7 days earlier (May 4), a first frost 7 days later (October 11), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Salisbury usually arrives around November 26, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Copake, NY, 9.5 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 46 days after the last snow.

ZIP 06068 is 5 miles from Falls Village, CT, which stands at 550 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 12546 (Millerton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 06068 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.