USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 41002 — Augusta, Kentucky
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Augusta 2, KY (508 ft), 1 miles northwest.
Updated
In Augusta, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 11 in half of years and has passed by May 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 30, as early as October 16 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 200 days (NOAA, Augusta 2, KY).
- Last spring frost
- April 11
- First fall frost
- October 30
- Growing season
- 200 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 4
- Last snow
- March 13
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 17.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
15 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Augusta
Half of springs at Augusta 2, KY see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 22 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 96% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 30 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 15, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 200 days in a typical year, longer than at 65% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 219 days one year in ten and falls short of 177 one year in ten. On average 89 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 24, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 19 and February 25.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 9 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 6 | May 12 |
| 32°F | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | May 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 13 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 |
| 24°F | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 20°F | Feb 14 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 25 |
| 16°F | Jan 30 | Feb 6 | Feb 12 | Feb 19 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 |
| 32°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 |
| 28°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
| 20°F | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 27 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 19 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 11 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Augusta 2, KY, 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 41002 →Compare Augusta with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Chilo Meldahl Locks & Dam, OH, 10 miles west of Augusta, has a last frost 5 days later (April 16), a first frost 1 day later (October 31), a season 4 days shorter.
When it snows in Augusta, Kentucky
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Augusta usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ripley Exp Farm, OH, 10.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 29 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 41002
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 31 – February 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 14 – February 28 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 11 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 16 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 30 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 41002 is 1 mile from Augusta 2, KY, which stands at 508 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 41004 (Brooksville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41002 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.
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.