Frost Dates for 38125 — Memphis, Tennessee

Half of springs at Germantown 4SE, TN see their last 32°F night by March 22; only one in ten is past it by March 5, and one in ten still has one after April 9. Planting tender crops after March 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 3 20%, and after April 9 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 67% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 7 in half of years, as early as October 26 one year in ten, and holds off past November 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 28, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 230 days in a typical year, longer than at 98% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 253 days one year in ten and falls short of 207 one year in ten. On average 66 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 4, and return around October 28. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 81%.

July is the warmest month at Germantown 4SE, TN, averaging 92°F by day and 73°F at night; January is the coldest at 50°F and 31°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 25% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,470 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 99% of the 144 Tennessee stations. 40% of them (2,184) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 998. Precipitation totals 55.4 inches a year, most in April (5.9") and least in September (3.3"); May to September bring 38% of it.

The nearest other station, Olive Branch, MS, 6 miles south of Memphis, has a last frost 4 days later (March 26), a first frost 1 day earlier (November 6), a season 3 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Memphis usually arrives around January 28, and the last of the season around February 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Germantown 4SE, TN, 4.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 43 days after the last snow.

ZIP 38125 is 4 miles from Germantown 4SE, TN, which stands at 320 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 38125 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.