Frost Dates for 41701 — Hazard, Kentucky

Half of springs at Buckhorn Lake, KY see their last 32°F night by April 19; only one in ten is past it by April 8, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest 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 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 10 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 204 days one year in ten and falls short of 170 one year in ten. On average 103 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 10 days longer, to about April 29, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 9 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Buckhorn Lake, KY, averaging 87°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 25°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 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,922 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 54% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,451) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 806. Precipitation totals 51.5 inches a year, most in July (5.3") and least in September (3.3"); May to September bring 45% of it.

The nearest other station, Skyline 1 SE, KY, 17 miles southeast of Hazard and 303 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 18), a first frost 3 days later (October 28), a season 3 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hazard usually arrives around January 4, and the last of the season around February 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hazard Wtr Wks, KY, 2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 86% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 68 days after the last snow.

ZIP 41701 is 16 miles from Buckhorn Lake, KY, which stands at 780 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41701 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.