Frost Dates for 37160 — Shelbyville, Tennessee

Half of springs at Shelbyville Water Dept, TN see their last 32°F night by April 7; only one in ten is past it by March 19, and one in ten still has one after April 23. Planting tender crops after April 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 23 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 53% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 29 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 12, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 204 days in a typical year, shorter than at 47% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 225 days one year in ten and falls short of 183 one year in ten. On average 76 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 13 days longer, to about April 20, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 22 and February 13.

July is the warmest month at Shelbyville Water Dept, TN, averaging 89°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 29°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 68% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,716 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 77% of the 144 Tennessee stations. 39% of them (1,817) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 894. Precipitation totals 59.5 inches a year, most in December (6.1") and least in October (3.7"); May to September bring 40% of it.

The nearest other station, Lynchburg, TN, 13 miles southeast of Shelbyville, has a last frost 8 days later (April 15), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 25), a season 12 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Shelbyville usually arrives around February 6, and the last of the season around February 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Shelbyville Water Dept, TN, 1.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 50% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.

ZIP 37160 is 2 miles from Shelbyville Water Dept, TN, which stands at 760 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 37160 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.