Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 45305 — Bellbrook, Ohio

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH (962 ft), 8 miles southwest.

Updated

In Bellbrook, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 17 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 26, as early as October 13 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 192 days (NOAA, Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH).

Last spring frost
April 17

50% probability

First fall frost
October 26

50% probability

Growing season
192 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

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

First snow
December 3

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 13

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

24 of 24 observed

Snow per year
20.3"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Bellbrook

Half of springs at Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH see their last 32°F night by April 17; only one in ten is past it by April 3, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 92% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 26 in half of years, as early as October 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 192 days in a typical year, longer than at 86% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 211 days one year in ten and falls short of 169 one year in ten. On average 103 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 April 29, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 10 and March 3.

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

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dayton Wright Bros 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 45305 →Compare Bellbrook with another place →

Weather by month in Bellbrook

July is the warmest month at Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°F and 22°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 18% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,709 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 90% of the 148 Ohio stations. 37% of them (1,362) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 789. Precipitation totals 40.9 inches a year, most in June (4.9") and least in February (2.3"); May to September bring 45% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan39222.9100%257
Feb43252.3100%2211
Mar53333.5100%1657
Apr65434.493%4185
May75534.218%<1437
Jun83624.90%0666
Jul86653.60%0789
Aug85632.80%0750
Sep79563.00%0524
Oct67453.075%2221
Nov54353.1100%1351
Dec43273.2100%2212

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH (962 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, Xenia 6 SSE, OH, 10 miles east of Bellbrook, has a last frost 1 day later (April 18), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 24), a season 4 days shorter.

Frost dates for 45385 (Xenia) →

When it snows in Bellbrook, Ohio

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bellbrook usually arrives around December 3, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Xenia 6 SSE, OH, 9.8 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 35 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 45305

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Bellbrook, Ohio
WhenWhat to do
February 6 – February 20Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 20 – March 6Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 20 – April 3Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 17 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 3Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 12Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 26 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 45305 is 8 miles from Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH, which stands at 962 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 6 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 45458 (Dayton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 45305 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