Frost Dates for 43003 — Ashley, Ohio

Half of springs at Marion Municipal Airport, OH see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 11, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 53% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 20 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 178 days in a typical year, shorter than at 54% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 197 days one year in ten and falls short of 159 one year in ten. On average 123 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 May 4, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 13.

July is the warmest month at Marion Municipal Airport, OH, averaging 84°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November 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 30% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,109 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 66% of the 148 Ohio stations. 36% of them (1,105) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 713. Precipitation totals 37.5 inches a year, most in June (4.2") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Marion 2 N, OH, 17 miles northwest of Ashley, has a last frost 1 day later (April 25), the same first-frost date.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ashley usually arrives around December 2, and the last of the season around March 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Prospect, OH, 13.5 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 43003 is 15 miles from Marion Municipal Airport, OH, which stands at 994 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 43315 (Cardington). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 43003 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.