USDA Hardiness Zone 7a

Frost Dates for 41230 — Louisa, Kentucky

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Charley 2 SW, KY (740 ft), 10 miles southwest.

Updated October 28, 2026

In Louisa, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 24 in half of years and has passed by May 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 17, as early as October 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 174 days (NOAA, Charley 2 SW, KY).

Last spring frost: April 24
First fall frost: October 17
Growing season: 174 days
Hardiness zone: 7a

First snow: December 13
Last snow: March 10
Winters with snow: 100%
Snow per year: 17.4"

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Frost risk by date in Louisa

Half of springs at Charley 2 SW, KY see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 11, 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 17 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 2, 10 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 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 153 one year in ten. On average 127 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 May 6, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 8.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low	90%	80%	70%	60%	50%	40%	30%	20%	10%
36°F	Apr 21	Apr 26	Apr 30	May 2	May 6	May 9	May 12	May 16	May 21
32°F	Apr 11	Apr 16	Apr 18	Apr 21	Apr 24	Apr 29	May 2	May 6	May 12
28°F	Mar 31	Apr 3	Apr 6	Apr 9	Apr 12	Apr 16	Apr 19	Apr 22	May 2
24°F	Mar 16	Mar 22	Mar 26	Mar 30	Apr 1	Apr 3	Apr 5	Apr 8	Apr 13
20°F	Mar 3	Mar 9	Mar 14	Mar 17	Mar 20	Mar 24	Mar 27	Mar 30	Apr 2
16°F	Feb 11	Feb 23	Feb 28	Mar 4	Mar 8	Mar 11	Mar 15	Mar 19	Mar 24

Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Sep 28	Oct 1	Oct 4	Oct 6	Oct 9	Oct 11	Oct 13	Oct 15	Oct 20
32°F	Oct 6	Oct 10	Oct 12	Oct 15	Oct 17	Oct 20	Oct 22	Oct 25	Oct 29
28°F	Oct 13	Oct 18	Oct 21	Oct 23	Oct 26	Oct 29	Oct 31	Nov 2	Nov 7
24°F	Oct 24	Oct 29	Oct 31	Nov 1	Nov 4	Nov 7	Nov 10	Nov 13	Nov 21
20°F	Nov 1	Nov 6	Nov 9	Nov 12	Nov 15	Nov 19	Nov 24	Nov 30	Dec 6
16°F	Nov 9	Nov 15	Nov 20	Nov 24	Nov 29	Dec 2	Dec 6	Dec 12	Dec 21

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Charley 2 SW, 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 41230 →Compare Louisa with another place →

Frost risk through the year in Louisa

Frost curve for Louisa, Kentucky (Charley 2 SW, KY, NOAA 1991–2020): the chance of another 32°F night falls from 90% on April 11 to 50% on April 24 and 10% on May 12; the chance that the first fall one has come rises from 10% on October 6 to 50% on October 17 and 90% on October 29. — In Louisa, the spring curve drops under 10% on May 12 and the fall curve passes 10% on October 6, 147 days later; that gap is shorter than at 90% of the 113 Kentucky stations with frost dates. The spring risk falls from 90% to 10% over 31 days (April 11 to May 12) and the fall risk climbs from 10% to 90% over 23 days (October 6 to October 29): the last frost moves more from year to year than the first. At Inez 2 E, KY, 15 miles southeast, the same gap runs from May 9 to October 10, 7 days longer.

Chance of a frost after each planting date in Louisa
Planted on	Another 32°F night	28°F night
Apr 10	over 90%	57%
Apr 17	75%	37%
Apr 2450% date	50%	18%
May 1	33%	11%
May 8	17%	under 10%
May 15	under 10%	under 10%

Weather by month in Louisa

July is the warmest month at Charley 2 SW, KY, averaging 85°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 23°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 3,436 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 96% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,267) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 742. Precipitation totals 46.0 inches a year, most in June (4.7") and least in February (2.9"); May to September bring 47% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Charley 2 SW, KY
Month	High °F	Low °F	Precip. in	32°F night	Nights ≤ 32°F	GDD 50°F
Jan	44	23	3.3	100%	26	8
Feb	48	25	2.9	100%	25	10
Mar	58	30	4.0	100%	19	54
Apr	70	39	4.6	99%	7	190
May	76	49	4.6	34%	1	393
Jun	82	58	4.7	0%	0	612
Jul	85	63	4.7	0%	0	742
Aug	84	61	3.7	0%	0	699
Sep	79	53	4.0	2%	0	487
Oct	69	41	3.1	94%	6	195
Nov	57	30	3.1	100%	18	35
Dec	47	26	3.3	100%	25	11

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Charley 2 SW, KY (740 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Inez 2 E, KY, 15 miles southeast of Louisa, has a last frost 4 days earlier (April 20), a first frost 7 days later (October 24), a season 12 days longer.

Frost dates for 41224 (Inez) →

When it snows in Louisa, Kentucky

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Louisa usually arrives around December 13, and the last of the season around March 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dunlow 1 SW, WV, 15.4 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 45 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 41230

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Louisa, Kentucky
When	What to do
February 13 – February 27	Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 27 – March 13	Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 27 – April 10	Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 24 onward	Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 25	Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 3	Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 17 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 41230 is 10 miles from Charley 2 SW, KY, which stands at 740 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41230 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°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.