USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 43310 — Belle Center, Ohio
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Huntsville 3N, OH (1,034 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Belle Center, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 22 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 27, as early as October 14 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 188 days (NOAA, Huntsville 3N, OH).
- Last spring frost
- April 22
- First fall frost
- October 27
- Growing season
- 188 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 16
- Last snow
- March 13
- Winters with snow
- 95%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Belle Center
Half of springs at Huntsville 3N, OH see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 8, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 93% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 27 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 10 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 188 days in a typical year, longer than at 76% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 168 one year in ten. On average 126 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 2, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 10 and March 9.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 11 | May 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 2 | May 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 13 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 15 |
| 20°F | Mar 2 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 |
| 16°F | Feb 17 | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
| 20°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Huntsville 3N, OH, 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 43310 →Compare Belle Center with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Bellefontaine, OH, 11 miles south of Belle Center, has a last frost 4 days later (April 26), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 20), a season 13 days shorter.
When it snows in Belle Center, Ohio
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Belle Center usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Huntsville 3N, OH, 3.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 40 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 43310
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 11 – February 25 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 25 – March 11 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 25 – April 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 13 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 27 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 43310 is 3 miles from Huntsville 3N, OH, which stands at 1,034 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 43331 (Lakeview). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 43310 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.
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.