USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 47803 — Terre Haute, Indiana
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN (575 ft), 2 miles southeast.
Updated
In Terre Haute, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 16 in half of years and has passed by May 3 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 18, as early as October 4 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 183 days (NOAA, Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN).
- Last spring frost
- April 16
- First fall frost
- October 18
- Growing season
- 183 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 14
- Last snow
- March 4
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
23 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Terre Haute
Half of springs at Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN see their last 32°F night by April 16; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 3. Planting tender crops after April 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 3 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 18 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past October 31 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 183 days in a typical year, longer than at 54% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 202 days one year in ten and falls short of 161 one year in ten. On average 110 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 28, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 5 and March 4.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 4 | May 8 | May 14 |
| 32°F | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 27 | May 3 |
| 28°F | Mar 20 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 |
| 24°F | Mar 4 | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 |
| 20°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 10 | Feb 19 | Feb 26 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 25 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 |
| 32°F | Oct 4 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 |
| 28°F | Oct 13 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 12 |
| 24°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 12 |
| 16°F | Nov 16 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN, 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 47803 →Compare Terre Haute with another place →
Weather by month in Terre Haute
July is the warmest month at Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°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 14% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,638 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 66% of the 125 Indiana stations. 38% of them (1,371) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 786. Precipitation totals 40.7 inches a year, most in April (4.7") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 48% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 2.6 | 100% | 26 | 4 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 2.0 | 100% | 23 | 8 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 2.9 | 99% | 16 | 57 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 4.7 | 92% | 4 | 182 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.7 | 14% | <1 | 438 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.6 | 0% | 0 | 682 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.3 | 0% | 0 | 786 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 730 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 2.9 | 4% | 0 | 499 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 3.4 | 91% | 4 | 201 |
| Nov | 53 | 34 | 3.1 | 100% | 14 | 42 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 2.5 | 100% | 23 | 9 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN (575 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, Terre Haute Caa Airport, IN, 3 miles southeast of Terre Haute, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 14), a first frost 6 days later (October 24), a season 9 days longer.
When it snows in Terre Haute, Indiana
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Terre Haute usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around March 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Terre Haute Indiana State, IN, 3.4 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 43 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 47803
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 5 – February 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 19 – March 5 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 19 – April 2 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 16 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 26 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 4 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 18 onward | Plant 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 47803 is 2 miles from Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN, which stands at 575 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 47803 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.
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.