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USDA Hardiness Zone 7a

Frost Dates for 42038 — Eddyville, Kentucky

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Eddyville 5S, KY (523 ft), 2 miles west.

Updated

In Eddyville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 27 in half of years and has passed by April 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 8, as early as October 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 225 days (NOAA, Eddyville 5S, KY).

Last spring frost
March 27

50% probability

First fall frost
November 8

50% probability

Growing season
225 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
7a

0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night

First snow
January 3

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
February 14

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
89%

24 of 27 observed

Snow per year
8.5"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Eddyville

Half of springs at Eddyville 5S, KY see their last 32°F night by March 27; only one in ten is past it by March 10, and one in ten still has one after April 12. Planting tender crops after April 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 6 20%, and after April 12 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 November 8 in half of years, as early as October 27 one year in ten, and holds off past November 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 225 days in a typical year, the longest of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 249 days one year in ten and falls short of 205 one year in ten. On average 58 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 7, and return around October 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 96% of winters, usually between December 28 and February 7.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMar 23Mar 29Apr 1Apr 4Apr 7Apr 10Apr 13Apr 17Apr 23
32°FMar 10Mar 16Mar 20Mar 24Mar 27Mar 31Apr 2Apr 6Apr 12
28°FFeb 26Mar 3Mar 7Mar 11Mar 15Mar 18Mar 23Mar 28Apr 1
24°FFeb 11Feb 18Feb 23Feb 28Mar 2Mar 6Mar 10Mar 15Mar 20
20°FJan 28Feb 4Feb 10Feb 15Feb 20Feb 24Feb 28Mar 4Mar 12
16°F96% of yrsJan 12Jan 24Jan 30Feb 2Feb 7Feb 12Feb 18Feb 24Mar 3
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 24Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 11
32°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19Nov 26
28°FNov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 8
24°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9Dec 15Dec 22
20°FNov 22Nov 28Dec 2Dec 7Dec 12Dec 19Dec 24Dec 29Jan 7
16°F96% of yrsDec 1Dec 9Dec 17Dec 23Dec 28Jan 1Jan 7Jan 14Jan 23

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Eddyville 5S, 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 42038 →Compare Eddyville with another place →

Frost risk through the year in Eddyville

Frost curve for Eddyville, Kentucky (Eddyville 5S, KY, NOAA 1991–2020): the chance of another 32°F night falls from 90% on March 10 to 50% on March 27 and 10% on April 12; the chance that the first fall one has come rises from 10% on October 27 to 50% on November 8 and 90% on November 26.

In Eddyville, the spring curve drops under 10% on April 12 and the fall curve passes 10% on October 27, 198 days later; that gap is longer than at 99% of the 113 Kentucky stations with frost dates. The spring risk falls from 90% to 10% over 33 days (March 10 to April 12) and the fall risk climbs from 10% to 90% over 30 days (October 27 to November 26): both ends of the season vary about as much. At Princeton 1 SE, KY, 11 miles northeast, the same gap runs from April 30 to October 12, 33 days shorter.

Chance of a frost after each planting date in Eddyville
Planted onAnother 32°F night28°F night
Mar 1385%55%
Mar 2070%36%
Mar 2750% date50%22%
Apr 328%under 10%
Apr 1013%under 10%
Apr 17under 10%under 10%

Weather by month in Eddyville

July is the warmest month at Eddyville 5S, KY, averaging 90°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 30°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 36% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,132 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), the most of the 113 Kentucky stations. 39% of them (1,979) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 942. Precipitation totals 53.0 inches a year, most in June (5.3") and least in September (3.7"); May to September bring 41% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Eddyville 5S, KY
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan48304.0100%1722
Feb52344.5100%1448
Mar62414.495%6151
Apr72505.236%1346
May79595.00%0598
Jun87675.30%0813
Jul90714.00%0942
Aug90703.80%0933
Sep85623.70%<1708
Oct74524.020%<1403
Nov61424.293%6132
Dec51344.9100%1435

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Eddyville 5S, KY (523 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, Princeton 1 SE, KY, 11 miles northeast of Eddyville, has a last frost 15 days later (April 11), a first frost 15 days earlier (October 24), a season 29 days shorter.

Frost dates for 42445 (Princeton) →

When it snows in Eddyville, Kentucky

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Eddyville usually arrives around January 3, and the last of the season around February 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Princeton 1 SE, KY, 10.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 89% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 41 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 42038

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Eddyville, Kentucky
WhenWhat to do
January 16 – January 30Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
January 30 – February 13Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
February 27 – March 13Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
March 27 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 16Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 25Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 8 onwardPlant 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 42038 is 2 miles from Eddyville 5S, KY, which stands at 523 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42038 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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 7a places in Kentucky