Frost Dates for 47421 — Bedford, Indiana

Half of springs at Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN see their last 32°F night by April 20; only one in ten is past it by April 6, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 66% 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 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 30 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 25, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 181 days in a typical year, shorter than at 50% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 200 days one year in ten and falls short of 160 one year in ten. On average 119 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 1, and return around October 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 3 and March 4.

July is the warmest month at Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN, averaging 85°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 21°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 22% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,484 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 59% of the 125 Indiana stations. 36% of them (1,253) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 755. Precipitation totals 48.1 inches a year, most in May (5.6") and least in February (2.8"); May to September bring 46% of it.

The nearest other station, Bedford 5 WNW, IN, 6 miles west of Bedford, has a last frost 10 days earlier (April 10), a first frost 10 days later (October 30), a season 20 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bedford usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN, 4.7 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 44 days after the last snow.

ZIP 47421 is 5 miles from Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN, which stands at 652 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 47421 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.