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USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 45011 — Hamilton, Ohio

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH (634 ft), 3 miles south.

Updated

In Hamilton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 22 in half of years and has passed by May 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 18, as early as October 5 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 178 days (NOAA, Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH).

Last spring frost
April 22

50% probability

First fall frost
October 18

50% probability

Growing season
178 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night

First snow
December 14

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 4

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

20 of 20 observed

Snow per year
9.7"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Hamilton

Half of springs at Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 6, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 10 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 18 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 12 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 198 days one year in ten and falls short of 157 one year in ten. On average 115 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 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 7.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 18Apr 22Apr 26Apr 30May 2May 6May 8May 13May 19
32°FApr 6Apr 11Apr 15Apr 18Apr 22Apr 25Apr 29May 4May 10
28°FMar 26Mar 31Apr 3Apr 6Apr 8Apr 12Apr 16Apr 20Apr 28
24°FMar 12Mar 18Mar 22Mar 26Mar 29Mar 31Apr 2Apr 4Apr 11
20°FFeb 28Mar 6Mar 10Mar 14Mar 17Mar 20Mar 24Mar 27Mar 31
16°FFeb 15Feb 23Feb 28Mar 3Mar 7Mar 10Mar 14Mar 18Mar 22
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 25Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 7Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 20
32°FOct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 29
28°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 8
24°FOct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 21
20°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 15Dec 22

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, 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 45011 →Compare Hamilton with another place →

Weather by month in Hamilton

July is the warmest month at Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH, averaging 87°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°F and 22°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 27% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,637 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 87% of the 148 Ohio stations. 37% of them (1,344) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 792. Precipitation totals 41.5 inches a year, most in April (4.6") and least in February (2.4"); May to September bring 44% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan40222.9100%257
Feb44232.4100%2311
Mar54323.5100%1757
Apr67424.696%5187
May75524.627%<1426
Jun83614.10%0655
Jul87643.70%0792
Aug86623.00%0749
Sep80543.03%0502
Oct68423.293%5197
Nov55323.2100%1743
Dec44263.3100%2311

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH (634 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Fairfield, OH, 5 miles southwest of Hamilton, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 19), a first frost 4 days later (October 22), a season 8 days longer.

Frost dates for 45013 (Hamilton) →

When it snows in Hamilton, Ohio

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hamilton usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around March 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Middletown, OH, 9.9 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 49 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 45011

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Hamilton, Ohio
WhenWhat to do
February 11 – February 25Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 25 – March 11Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 25 – April 8Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 22 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 26Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 4Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 18 onwardPlant 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 45011 is 3 miles from Hamilton Butler Co Regional Airport, OH, which stands at 634 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 6 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 45011 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Ohio →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 6b places in Ohio