Frost Dates for 38663 — Ripley, Mississippi

Half of springs at Ripley, MS see their last 32°F night by April 3; only one in ten is past it by March 15, and one in ten still has one after April 19. Planting tender crops after April 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 19 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% of the 96 Mississippi stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 30 in half of years, as early as October 19 one year in ten, and holds off past November 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 210 days in a typical year, shorter than at 94% of the 96 Mississippi stations; it reaches 234 days one year in ten and falls short of 190 one year in ten. On average 80 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 11 days longer, to about April 14, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 92% of winters, usually between January 1 and February 2.

July is the warmest month at Ripley, MS, averaging 90°F by day and 69°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 58% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,780 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 96 Mississippi stations. 39% of them (1,853) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 907. Precipitation totals 57.6 inches a year, most in December (6.4") and least in August (3.0"); May to September bring 37% of it.

The nearest other station, Ashland, MS, 15 miles northwest of Ripley, has a last frost 5 days earlier (March 29), a first frost 7 days later (November 6), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ripley usually arrives around January 23, and the last of the season around February 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ripley, MS, 1.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 68% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 55 days after the last snow.

ZIP 38663 is 1 mile from Ripley, MS, which stands at 525 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 38663 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.