Frost Dates for 46347 — Kouts, Indiana

Half of springs at Wheatfield, IN see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 12, and one in ten still has one after May 11. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 11 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 35% of the 125 Indiana stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 173 days in a typical year, shorter than at 77% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 135 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 11 days longer, to about May 6, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and March 16.

July is the warmest month at Wheatfield, IN, averaging 84°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 32°F and 16°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 32% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,119 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 70% of the 125 Indiana stations. 35% of them (1,098) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 719.

The nearest other station, Valparaiso Porter Co Municipal Airport, IN, 10 miles north of Kouts, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 20), a first frost 9 days later (October 26), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Kouts usually arrives around November 25, and the last of the season around March 29. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Wanatah 2 WNW, IN, 10.6 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 27 days after the last snow.

ZIP 46347 is 8 miles from Wheatfield, IN, which stands at 665 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 46310 (Demotte). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 46347 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.