Frost Dates for 46953 — Marion, Indiana

Half of springs at Marion 2 N, IN see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 11, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 7 20%, and after May 12 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 20 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 175 days in a typical year, shorter than at 69% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 195 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 126 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 7, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 12.

July is the warmest month at Marion 2 N, IN, averaging 84°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 33°F and 18°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 36% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,119 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 69% of the 125 Indiana stations. 35% of them (1,090) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 718. Precipitation totals 41.9 inches a year, most in May (4.8") and least in February (2.2"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Elwood, IN, 19 miles southwest of Marion, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 24), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 18).

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Marion usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Marion 2 N, IN, 3.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 97% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 43 days after the last snow.

ZIP 46953 is 3 miles from Marion 2 N, IN, which stands at 790 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 46953 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.