Frost Dates for 42408 — Dawson Springs, Kentucky

Half of springs at Princeton 1 SE, KY see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after April 30. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 24 20%, and after April 30 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% 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 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 196 days in a typical year, longer than at 55% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 217 days one year in ten and falls short of 175 one year in ten. On average 78 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 12 days longer, to about April 23, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 11 and February 23.

July is the warmest month at Princeton 1 SE, KY, averaging 89°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 27°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 76% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,577 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 90% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 39% of them (1,765) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 882. Precipitation totals 51.1 inches a year, most in April (5.1") and least in September (3.3"); May to September bring 40% of it.

The nearest other station, Madisonville, KY, 14 miles northeast of Dawson Springs, has a last frost 9 days earlier (April 2), a first frost 8 days later (November 1), a season 16 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dawson Springs usually arrives around December 23, and the last of the season around February 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dawson Springs, KY, 1.7 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 56 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42408 is 11 miles from Princeton 1 SE, KY, which stands at 497 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 42445 (Princeton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42408 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.