Frost Dates for 25253 — Letart, West Virginia

Half of springs at Southside 3 NNW, WV see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 15, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 8 20%, and after May 14 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 81% of the 84 West Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 19 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 3, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 173 days in a typical year, shorter than at 64% of the 84 West Virginia stations; it reaches 189 days one year in ten and falls short of 153 one year in ten. On average 131 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 9 days longer, to about May 7, and return around October 8. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and March 13.

July is the warmest month at Southside 3 NNW, WV, averaging 85°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 41% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,244 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 54% of the 84 West Virginia stations. 36% of them (1,160) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 722. Precipitation totals 46.3 inches a year, most in July (5.2") and least in October (2.8"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Gallipolis, OH, 13 miles southwest of Letart, has a last frost 10 days earlier (April 18), a first frost 9 days later (October 28), a season 19 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Letart usually arrives around December 26, and the last of the season around February 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ripley, WV, 15.9 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 65 days after the last snow.

ZIP 25253 is 12 miles from Southside 3 NNW, WV, which stands at 576 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 25123 (Leon). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 25253 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.