Frost Dates for 41171 — Sandy Hook, Kentucky

Half of springs at Gimlet 9N, KY see their last 32°F night by April 10; 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 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 99% 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 31 in half of years, as early as October 17 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 10; 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 201 days in a typical year, longer than at 67% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 222 days one year in ten and falls short of 177 one year in ten. On average 98 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 15 days longer, to about April 25, and return around October 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 18 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Gimlet 9N, KY, averaging 87°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 41°F and 23°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 78% of years and May still brings one in 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,840 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 62% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,437) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 812.

The nearest other station, W Liberty 3NW, KY, 15 miles southwest of Sandy Hook and 340 feet lower, has a last frost 19 days later (April 29), a first frost 15 days earlier (October 16), a season 32 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sandy Hook 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, 17.5 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 37 days after the last snow.

ZIP 41171 is 9 miles from Gimlet 9N, KY, which stands at 1,120 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41171 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.