Frost Dates for 45661 — Piketon, Ohio

Half of springs at Waverly, OH see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 9 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 22 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 182 days in a typical year, longer than at 55% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 203 days one year in ten and falls short of 161 one year in ten. On average 124 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 1, and return around October 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Waverly, OH, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°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 26% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,634 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 86% of the 148 Ohio stations. 37% of them (1,333) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 790. Precipitation totals 43.7 inches a year, most in May (4.4") and least in November (2.9"); May to September bring 45% of it.

The nearest other station, Lucasville, OH, 12 miles south of Piketon, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 2 days later (October 24), a season 3 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Piketon usually arrives around December 22, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Waverly, OH, 6.4 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 52 days after the last snow.

ZIP 45661 is 6 miles from Waverly, OH, which stands at 572 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 45690 (Waverly). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 45661 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.