Frost Dates for 47944 — Fowler, Indiana

Half of springs at Boswell 4WNW, IN see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 12 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 13 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 25 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 22; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 169 days in a typical year, shorter than at 91% of the 125 Indiana stations; it reaches 188 days one year in ten and falls short of 147 one year in ten. On average 138 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 10 days longer, to about May 5, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 16.

July is the warmest month at Boswell 4WNW, IN, averaging 83°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 32°F and 15°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 33% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,061 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 80% of the 125 Indiana stations. 36% of them (1,107) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 694. Precipitation totals 40.4 inches a year, most in June (5.2") and least in February (1.9"); May to September bring 53% of it.

The nearest other station, Kentland, IN, 11 miles northwest of Fowler, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 23), a first frost 1 day later (October 14), a season 6 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fowler usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around March 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Boswell 4WNW, IN, 8.7 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 46 days after the last snow.

ZIP 47944 is 9 miles from Boswell 4WNW, IN, which stands at 772 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 47944 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.