Frost Dates for 26624 — Gassaway, West Virginia

Half of springs at Gassaway, WV see their last 32°F night by April 20; only one in ten is past it by April 8, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 61% of the 84 West Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 7 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 185 days in a typical year, longer than at 69% of the 84 West Virginia stations; it reaches 204 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 115 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 2, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and March 3.

July is the warmest month at Gassaway, WV, averaging 85°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 22°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 24% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,541 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 71% of the 84 West Virginia stations. 35% of them (1,257) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 761. Precipitation totals 51.0 inches a year, most in July (6.4") and least in February (3.3"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Sutton Lake, WV, 6 miles southeast of Gassaway, has a last frost 2 days later (April 22), a first frost 3 days later (October 28), a season 2 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Gassaway usually arrives around December 10, and the last of the season around March 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Gassaway, WV, 3.1 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 37 days after the last snow.

ZIP 26624 is 3 miles from Gassaway, WV, which stands at 848 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 26624 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.