Frost Dates for 06098 — Winsted, Connecticut

Half of springs at Barkhamsted, CT see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 17, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 15 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 50% of the 28 Connecticut stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 2, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 168 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 28 Connecticut stations; it reaches 189 days one year in ten and falls short of 147 one year in ten. On average 151 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 12, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and March 17.

July is the warmest month at Barkhamsted, CT, averaging 84°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 14°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 48% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,681 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 71% of the 28 Connecticut stations. 31% of them (833) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 680. Precipitation totals 51.3 inches a year, most in October (5.2") and least in February (3.2"); May to September bring 44% of it.

The nearest other station, Bakersville, CT, 7 miles southeast of Winsted, has a last frost 8 days later (May 8), a first frost 12 days earlier (October 5), a season 17 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Winsted usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 20. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Barkhamsted, CT, 5.5 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 41 days after the last snow.

ZIP 06098 is 6 miles from Barkhamsted, CT, which stands at 710 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 06098 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.