Frost Dates for 41240 — Paintsville, Kentucky

Half of springs at Paintsville 1E, KY see their last 32°F night by April 19; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 47% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 188 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 206 days one year in ten and falls short of 168 one year in ten. On average 110 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 April 30, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 9 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Paintsville 1E, KY, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 23°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November 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 18% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,772 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 72% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,383) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 787. Precipitation totals 46.2 inches a year, most in July (5.2") and least in November (3.0"); May to September bring 46% of it.

The nearest other station, Charley 2 SW, KY, 10 miles north of Paintsville, has a last frost 5 days later (April 24), a first frost 8 days earlier (October 17), a season 14 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Paintsville usually arrives around December 24, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Paintsville 1E, KY, 0.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 41240 is under a mile from Paintsville 1E, KY, which stands at 630 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41240 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.