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USDA Hardiness Zone 5b

Frost Dates for 53085 — Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI (746 ft), 3 miles north.

Updated

In Sheboygan Falls, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 5 in half of years and has passed by May 21 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 8, as early as September 26 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 154 days (NOAA, Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI).

Last spring frost
May 5

50% probability

First fall frost
October 8

50% probability

Growing season
154 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
5b

-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night

First snow
November 22

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
April 8

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

17 of 17 observed

Snow per year
—

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Sheboygan Falls

Half of springs at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 17 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 70% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 154 days in a typical year, shorter than at 53% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 173 days one year in ten and falls short of 132 one year in ten. On average 151 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 14 days longer, to about May 19, and return around September 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 21.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMay 3May 9May 13May 17May 19May 22May 26May 29Jun 2
32°FApr 22Apr 27Apr 30May 2May 5May 9May 13May 17May 21
28°FApr 8Apr 13Apr 16Apr 20Apr 23Apr 26Apr 28May 2May 9
24°FMar 27Apr 1Apr 3Apr 6Apr 8Apr 11Apr 15Apr 19Apr 23
20°FMar 15Mar 20Mar 23Mar 27Mar 29Apr 1Apr 3Apr 6Apr 11
16°FMar 8Mar 11Mar 15Mar 18Mar 21Mar 23Mar 26Mar 30Apr 2
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 17Sep 21Sep 24Sep 27Sep 29Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 11
32°FSep 26Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18Oct 23
28°FOct 5Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3
24°FOct 17Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16
20°FOct 31Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 28
16°FNov 9Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI, 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 53085 →Compare Sheboygan Falls with another place →

Weather by month in Sheboygan Falls

July is the warmest month at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI, averaging 80°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 27°F and 12°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 65% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,210 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 75% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 29% of them (650) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 597. Precipitation totals 29.7 inches a year, most in June (3.8") and least in February (1.0"); May to September bring 55% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan27121.1100%300
Feb30141.0100%270
Mar41241.7100%257
Apr53343.3100%1329
May65443.465%2177
Jun75543.81%0436
Jul80583.40%0597
Aug78573.10%0549
Sep71502.723%<1320
Oct58392.897%886
Nov44282.0100%209
Dec33181.4100%280

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI (746 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, Sheboygan, WI, 6 miles east of Sheboygan Falls, has a last frost 10 days earlier (April 25), a first frost 15 days later (October 23), a season 25 days longer.

Frost dates for 53081 (Sheboygan) →

When it snows in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sheboygan Falls usually arrives around November 22, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sheboygan, WI, 6 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 27 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 53085

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin
WhenWhat to do
February 24 – March 10Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 10 – March 24Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 7 – April 21Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 5 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 16Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 24Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 8 onwardPlant 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 53085 is 3 miles from Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI, which stands at 746 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 53085 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.

Frost dates across Wisconsin →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 5b places in Wisconsin