Frost Dates for 41164 — Olive Hill, Kentucky

Half of springs at Olive Hill 5NE, KY see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 6 20%, and after May 12 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 54% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 18 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 30 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 1, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 174 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 192 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 133 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 May 5, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 30 and March 7.

July is the warmest month at Olive Hill 5NE, KY, averaging 82°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°F and 21°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 34% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,154 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 99% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,165) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 696. Precipitation totals 50.0 inches a year, most in July (6.1") and least in November (3.0"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Gimlet 9N, KY, 6 miles southeast of Olive Hill and 232 feet higher, has a last frost 14 days earlier (April 10), a first frost 13 days later (October 31), a season 27 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Olive Hill usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Olive Hill 5NE, KY, 5.5 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 51 days after the last snow.

ZIP 41164 is 6 miles from Olive Hill 5NE, KY, which stands at 888 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41164 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.