Frost Dates for 41858 — Whitesburg, Kentucky

Half of springs at Whitesburg 2SE, KY see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 85% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 22 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 183 days in a typical year, shorter than at 78% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 201 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 113 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 May 1, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 9 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Whitesburg 2SE, KY, averaging 82°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 24°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 20% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,292 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 97% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 36% of them (1,195) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 702.

The nearest other station, Skyline 1 SE, KY, 9 miles west of Whitesburg and 157 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 18), a first frost 6 days later (October 28), a season 8 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Whitesburg usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Skyline 1 SE, KY, 9.3 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 41858 is 2 miles from Whitesburg 2SE, KY, which stands at 1,240 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 41858 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.