USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 42746 — Hardyville, Kentucky
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Knob Lick 4S, KY (1,020 ft), 12 miles south.
Updated
In Hardyville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 5 in half of years and has passed by April 24 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 2, as early as October 21 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 211 days (NOAA, Knob Lick 4S, KY).
- Last spring frost
- April 5
- First fall frost
- November 2
- Growing season
- 211 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 23
- Last snow
- February 9
- Winters with snow
- 88%
- Snow per year
- 5.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
14 of 16 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Hardyville
Half of springs at Knob Lick 4S, KY 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 24. Planting tender crops after April 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 16 20%, and after April 24 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 November 2 in half of years, as early as October 21 one year in ten, and holds off past November 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 8, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 211 days in a typical year, longer than at 90% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 231 days one year in ten and falls short of 187 one year in ten. On average 81 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 13 days longer, to about April 18, and return around October 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 23 and February 20.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 3 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | May 2 | May 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 24 |
| 28°F | Mar 9 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 |
| 24°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 |
| 20°F | Feb 7 | Feb 16 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Jan 24 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 | Feb 11 | Feb 20 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 14 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 32°F | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 18 |
| 28°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 |
| 24°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 |
| 20°F | Nov 17 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Nov 30 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 | Dec 26 | Dec 30 | Jan 4 | Jan 13 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Knob Lick 4S, KY, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 42746 →Compare Hardyville with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Greensburg, KY, 13 miles east of Hardyville and 435 feet lower, has a last frost 10 days later (April 15), a first frost 9 days earlier (October 24), a season 19 days shorter.
When it snows in Hardyville, Kentucky
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hardyville usually arrives around December 23, and the last of the season around February 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Glasgow, KY, 16.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 88% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 55 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 42746
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 25 – February 8 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 8 – February 22 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 8 – March 22 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 2 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 42746 is 12 miles from Knob Lick 4S, KY, which stands at 1,020 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 42129 (Edmonton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 42746 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.