Frost Dates for 42459 — Sturgis, Kentucky

Half of springs at Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN see their last 32°F night by April 5; only one in ten is past it by March 21, and one in ten still has one after April 21. Planting tender crops after April 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 21 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 October 31 in half of years, as early as October 19 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 209 days in a typical year, longer than at 86% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 230 days one year in ten and falls short of 189 one year in ten. On average 80 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 15, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 15 and February 20.

July is the warmest month at Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN, averaging 88°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 26°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 65% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,262 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 72% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 38% of them (1,601) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 868. Precipitation totals 48.4 inches a year, most in April (5.4") and least in August (3.1"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, Providence, KY, 17 miles southeast of Sturgis, has a last frost 2 days later (April 7), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 28), a season 6 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sturgis usually arrives around January 1, and the last of the season around February 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Shawneetown Old Town, IL, 12.2 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 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42459 is 16 miles from Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN, which stands at 340 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 42437 (Morganfield). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42459 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.