USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 41339 — Jackson, Kentucky
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Quicksand, KY (745 ft), under a mile west.
Updated
In Jackson, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 19 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 24, as early as October 11 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 187 days (NOAA, Quicksand, KY).
- Last spring frost
- April 19
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 187 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 30
- Last snow
- March 26
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 23.4"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Jackson
Half of springs at Quicksand, 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 5. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 68% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 24 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 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, shorter than at 72% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 206 days one year in ten and falls short of 166 one year in ten. On average 114 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 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 18 and February 26.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 14 |
| 32°F | Apr 4 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 5 |
| 28°F | Mar 22 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 21 |
| 24°F | Mar 5 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 11 |
| 20°F | Feb 16 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 |
| 16°F | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 18 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 |
| 32°F | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 28°F | Oct 18 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 17 |
| 24°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 3 |
| 20°F | Nov 9 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 13 | Dec 22 |
| 16°F | Nov 21 | Nov 30 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 12 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Quicksand, 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 41339 →Compare Jackson with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Buckhorn Lake, KY, 15 miles southwest of Jackson, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day later (October 25), a season 1 day longer.
When it snows in Jackson, Kentucky
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Jackson usually arrives around November 30, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Jackson, KY, 4.3 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 24 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 41339
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 8 – February 22 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 22 – April 5 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 19 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 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 41339 is under a mile from Quicksand, KY, which stands at 745 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41339 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.
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.