Frost Dates for 42701 — Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Half of springs at Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY see their last 32°F night by April 16; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after May 4. Planting tender crops after April 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 4 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 54% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 18, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 191 days in a typical year, shorter than at 56% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 210 days one year in ten and falls short of 168 one year in ten. On average 98 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 27, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and February 27.

July is the warmest month at Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY, averaging 86°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 24°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 14% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,868 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,439) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 801. Precipitation totals 54.3 inches a year, most in May (5.8") and least in September (3.5"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Hodgenville Lincoln P, KY, 14 miles southeast of Elizabethtown, has the same 50% last-frost date, the same first-frost date.

Measurable snow is rare here: only 9 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Boston 6 SW, KY, 6.9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

ZIP 42701 is 2 miles from Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY, which stands at 690 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42701 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.