Frost Dates for 44691 — Wooster, Ohio

Half of springs at Wooster Exp Station, OH see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 17, and one in ten still has one after May 18. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 12 20%, and after May 18 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 12 in half of years, as early as September 29 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 163 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 183 days one year in ten and falls short of 141 one year in ten. On average 130 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 12 days longer, to about May 12, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and March 16.

July is the warmest month at Wooster Exp Station, OH, averaging 84°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 18°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 49% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,933 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 83% of the 148 Ohio stations. 35% of them (1,024) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 684. Precipitation totals 42.0 inches a year, most in June (4.8") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Wooster 3 SSE, OH, 3 miles southeast of Wooster, has a last frost 6 days earlier (April 24), a first frost 9 days later (October 21), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Wooster usually arrives around November 26, and the last of the season around March 31. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Wooster Exp Station, OH, 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 30 days after the last snow.

ZIP 44691 is 2 miles from Wooster Exp Station, OH, which stands at 1,020 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 44691 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.