Frost Dates for 42166 — Summer Shade, Kentucky

Half of springs at Summer Shade, KY see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 16. Planting tender crops after May 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 8 20%, and after May 16 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 88% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 18 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 174 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 197 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 101 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 6, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 30 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Summer Shade, KY, averaging 90°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 39% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,103 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 58% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 38% of them (1,568) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 812. Precipitation totals 49.7 inches a year, most in March (4.8") and least in October (3.6"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Knob Lick 4S, KY, 11 miles north of Summer Shade and 156 feet higher, has a last frost 21 days earlier (April 5), a first frost 15 days later (November 2), a season 37 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Summer Shade usually arrives around January 6, and the last of the season around February 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Summer Shade, KY, 1.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 83% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 80 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42166 is 2 miles from Summer Shade, KY, which stands at 864 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 42167 (Tompkinsville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42166 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.