USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 38603 — Ashland, Mississippi
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Ashland, MS (603 ft), under a mile north.
Updated
In Ashland, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 29 in half of years and has passed by April 15 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 6, as early as October 22 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 224 days (NOAA, Ashland, MS).
- Last spring frost
- March 29
- First fall frost
- November 6
- Growing season
- 224 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- January 19
- Last snow
- February 5
- Winters with snow
- 64%
- Snow per year
- 2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
16 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Ashland
Half of springs at Ashland, MS see their last 32°F night by March 29; only one in ten is past it by March 6, and one in ten still has one after April 15. Planting tender crops after April 4 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 8 20%, and after April 15 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 71% of the 96 Mississippi stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 6 in half of years, as early as October 22 one year in ten, and holds off past November 25 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 3, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 224 days in a typical year, shorter than at 76% of the 96 Mississippi stations; it reaches 251 days one year in ten and falls short of 200 one year in ten. On average 71 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 10 days longer, to about April 8, and return around October 27. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 78%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 22 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 26 |
| 32°F | Mar 6 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 15 |
| 28°F | Feb 20 | Feb 27 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Apr 3 |
| 24°F | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 18 |
| 20°F97% of yrs | Jan 14 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 8 |
| 16°F78% of yrs | Jan 2 | Jan 9 | Jan 15 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 | Feb 16 | Feb 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 14 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 |
| 32°F | Oct 22 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 28°F | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 |
| 24°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Jan 1 |
| 20°F97% of yrs | Nov 25 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 |
| 16°F78% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 22 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 21 | Feb 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Ashland, MS, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 38603 →Compare Ashland with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Ripley, MS, 14 miles southeast of Ashland, has a last frost 5 days later (April 3), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 30), a season 14 days shorter.
When it snows in Ashland, Mississippi
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ashland usually arrives around January 19, and the last of the season around February 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ashland, MS, 0.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 64% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 52 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 38603
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 18 – February 1 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 1 – February 15 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 1 – March 15 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 29 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 14 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 23 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 6 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 38603 is under a mile from Ashland, MS, which stands at 603 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 38603 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.
Frost dates across Mississippi →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.