Frost Dates for 25514 — Fort Gay, West Virginia

Half of springs at Dunlow 1 SW, WV see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 27, and one in ten still has one after May 4. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 4 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 89% of the 84 West Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 26 in half of years, as early as October 14 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 17, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 197 days in a typical year, longer than at 92% of the 84 West Virginia stations; it reaches 217 days one year in ten and falls short of 172 one year in ten. On average 95 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 April 27, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 19 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Dunlow 1 SW, WV, averaging 84°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 26°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 79% of years and May still brings one in 15% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,731 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 85% of the 84 West Virginia stations. 38% of them (1,423) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 755. Precipitation totals 49.2 inches a year, most in June (4.9") and least in November (3.3"); May to September bring 44% of it.

The nearest other station, Charley 2 SW, KY, 15 miles southwest of Fort Gay and 373 feet lower, has a last frost 11 days later (April 24), a first frost 9 days earlier (October 17), a season 23 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fort Gay usually arrives around December 13, and the last of the season around March 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dunlow 1 SW, WV, 13 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 34 days after the last snow.

ZIP 25514 is 13 miles from Dunlow 1 SW, WV, which stands at 1,113 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 25514 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.