USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 47879 — Shelburn, Indiana
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Farmersburg Tv-2, IN (548 ft), 4 miles north.
Updated
In Shelburn, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 8 in half of years and has passed by April 24 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 27, as early as October 12 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 201 days (NOAA, Farmersburg Tv-2, IN).
- Last spring frost
- April 8
- First fall frost
- October 27
- Growing season
- 201 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 5
- Last snow
- March 4
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 15.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
27 of 27 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Shelburn
Half of springs at Farmersburg Tv-2, IN see their last 32°F night by April 8; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 19 20%, and after April 24 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 27 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 12, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 201 days in a typical year, longer than at 86% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 222 days one year in ten and falls short of 179 one year in ten. On average 99 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 20, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 11 and February 27.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 2 | May 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 19 | Apr 24 |
| 28°F | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 12 |
| 24°F | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 |
| 20°F | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 24 |
| 16°F | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 17 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 2 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 |
| 20°F | Nov 11 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 20 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Farmersburg Tv-2, 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 47879 →Compare Shelburn with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Shakamak Sp, IN, 7 miles east of Shelburn, has a last frost 6 days later (April 14), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 26), a season 8 days shorter.
When it snows in Shelburn, Indiana
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Shelburn usually arrives around December 5, and the last of the season around March 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Farmersburg Tv-2, IN, 4.2 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 35 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 47879
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 28 – February 11 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 11 – February 25 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 11 – March 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 8 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 13 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 27 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 47879 is 4 miles from Farmersburg Tv-2, IN, which stands at 548 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 47879 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.