Frost Dates for 24277 — Pennington Gap, Virginia

Half of springs at Pennington Gap, VA see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 52% of the 128 Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 20 in half of years, as early as October 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 26, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, shorter than at 78% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 197 days one year in ten and falls short of 158 one year in ten. On average 120 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 11 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Pennington Gap, VA, averaging 85°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 45°F and 23°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 27% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,566 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 64% of the 128 Virginia stations. 36% of them (1,284) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 745. Precipitation totals 49.8 inches a year, most in March (4.9") and least in November (2.9"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Big Stone Gap, VA, 15 miles northeast of Pennington Gap, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 20), a first frost 3 days later (October 23), a season 7 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Pennington Gap usually arrives around December 28, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Pennington Gap, VA, 1.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 89% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 53 days after the last snow.

ZIP 24277 is 2 miles from Pennington Gap, VA, which stands at 1,360 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 24277 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.