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USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 41039 — Ewing, Kentucky

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Flemingsburg 2 N, KY (940 ft), 7 miles east.

Updated

In Ewing, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 12 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 17 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 200 days (NOAA, Flemingsburg 2 N, KY).

Last spring frost
April 12

50% probability

First fall frost
October 30

50% probability

Growing season
200 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night

First snow
December 16

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 1

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
72%

21 of 29 observed

Snow per year
8.8"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Ewing

Half of springs at Flemingsburg 2 N, KY see their last 32°F night by April 12; only one in ten is past it by March 27, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 25 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 88% of the 113 Kentucky 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 17 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 16 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 222 days one year in ten and falls short of 174 one year in ten. On average 100 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 14 days longer, to about April 26, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 19 and February 26.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 9Apr 15Apr 19Apr 22Apr 26Apr 30May 4May 8May 14
32°FMar 27Apr 1Apr 4Apr 7Apr 12Apr 15Apr 19Apr 25May 2
28°FMar 14Mar 20Mar 25Mar 28Mar 31Apr 2Apr 5Apr 9Apr 16
24°FFeb 28Mar 6Mar 12Mar 16Mar 20Mar 23Mar 27Mar 30Apr 3
20°FFeb 14Feb 22Feb 28Mar 3Mar 7Mar 12Mar 16Mar 20Mar 26
16°FFeb 2Feb 7Feb 13Feb 20Feb 26Mar 1Mar 5Mar 11Mar 18
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 6Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31
32°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 2Nov 6Nov 11
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 25
24°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 4Dec 10
20°FNov 14Nov 20Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 11Dec 18Dec 25
16°FNov 26Dec 3Dec 8Dec 12Dec 19Dec 23Dec 28Jan 2Jan 11

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Flemingsburg 2 N, 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 41039 →Compare Ewing with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Maysville Wwtp, KY, 19 miles north of Ewing and 425 feet lower, has a last frost 6 days later (April 18), the same first-frost date, a season 5 days shorter.

Frost dates for 41056 (Maysville) →

When it snows in Ewing, Kentucky

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ewing usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around March 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Flemingsburg 2 N, KY, 7.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 72% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 42 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 41039

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Ewing, Kentucky
WhenWhat to do
February 1 – February 15Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 15 – March 1Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 15 – March 29Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 12 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 7Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 16Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 30 onwardPlant 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 41039 is 7 miles from Flemingsburg 2 N, KY, which stands at 940 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 41041 (Flemingsburg). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41039 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.

Frost dates across Kentucky →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 6b places in Kentucky