Frost Dates for 42633 — Monticello, Kentucky

Half of springs at Monticello 3 NE, KY see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 47% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 26 in half of years, as early as October 14 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 190 days in a typical year, shorter than at 60% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 211 days one year in ten and falls short of 166 one year in ten. On average 99 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 29, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 16 and February 26.

July is the warmest month at Monticello 3 NE, KY, averaging 86°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 45°F and 26°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 87% of years and May still brings one in 18% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,014 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 50% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,480) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 806. Precipitation totals 52.5 inches a year, most in March (5.2") and least in October (2.9"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Jamestown Wwtp, KY, 19 miles northwest of Monticello, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 2 days earlier (October 24), a season 1 day shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Monticello usually arrives around December 5, and the last of the season around March 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Monticello 3 NE, KY, 4.5 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 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42633 is 5 miles from Monticello 3 NE, KY, which stands at 979 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 42633 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.