Frost Dates for 40371 — Salt Lick, Kentucky

Half of springs at Cave Run Lake, KY see their last 32°F night by April 17; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% of the 113 Kentucky 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 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 189 days in a typical year, shorter than at 63% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 210 days one year in ten and falls short of 165 one year in ten. On average 101 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 April 29, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 11 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Cave Run Lake, KY, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 41°F and 25°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 19% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,721 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 77% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,366) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 775. Precipitation totals 50.9 inches a year, most in July (5.9") and least in November (3.2"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Mt Sterling, KY, 18 miles west of Salt Lick, has a last frost 7 days later (April 24), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 18), a season 14 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Salt Lick usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cave Run Lake, KY, 4.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 97% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 45 days after the last snow.

ZIP 40371 is 5 miles from Cave Run Lake, KY, which stands at 840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 40351 (Morehead). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 40371 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.