Frost Dates for 42754 — Leitchfield, Kentucky

Half of springs at Leitchfield 2 N, KY see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 11, and one in ten still has one after May 11. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 11 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 85% of the 113 Kentucky stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 172 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 113 Kentucky stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 153 one year in ten. On average 110 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 8 days longer, to about May 4, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 11.

July is the warmest month at Leitchfield 2 N, KY, averaging 86°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 21°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 34% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,561 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 89% of the 113 Kentucky stations. 37% of them (1,304) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 759. Precipitation totals 49.8 inches a year, most in May (4.9") and least in September (3.3"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, Mcdaniels, KY, 14 miles northwest of Leitchfield and 195 feet lower, has a last frost 15 days earlier (April 11), a first frost 11 days later (October 26), a season 24 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Leitchfield usually arrives around December 24, and the last of the season around March 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Leitchfield 2 N, KY, 2.4 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 55 days after the last snow.

ZIP 42754 is 2 miles from Leitchfield 2 N, KY, which stands at 620 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 42754 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.