USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 53185 — Waterford, Wisconsin
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Rochester Wwtp, WI (783 ft), 5 miles south.
Updated
In Waterford, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 5 in half of years and has passed by May 23 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 10, as early as September 26 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 156 days (NOAA, Rochester Wwtp, WI).
- Last spring frost
- May 5
- First fall frost
- October 10
- Growing season
- 156 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 25
- Last snow
- March 31
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 37.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Waterford
Half of springs at Rochester Wwtp, WI see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 23, and one in ten still has one after May 23. Planting tender crops after May 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 23 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 96% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 10 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 10, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, longer than at 50% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 175 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 154 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 October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 19.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 3 | May 9 | May 13 | May 16 | May 19 | May 23 | May 26 | May 29 | Jun 2 |
| 32°F | Apr 23 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 5 | May 9 | May 12 | May 16 | May 23 |
| 28°F | Apr 8 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 10 |
| 24°F | Mar 26 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 |
| 20°F | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 |
| 16°F | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 |
| 32°F | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 |
| 28°F | Oct 6 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 3 |
| 24°F | Oct 17 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 20°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 |
| 16°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Rochester Wwtp, 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 53185 →Compare Waterford with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Burlington, WI, 11 miles south of Waterford, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day earlier (October 9).
When it snows in Waterford, Wisconsin
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Waterford usually arrives around November 25, and the last of the season around March 31. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Burlington, WI, 10.7 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 35 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 53185
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 24 – March 10 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 10 – March 24 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 7 – April 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 18 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 26 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 10 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 53185 is 5 miles from Rochester Wwtp, WI, which stands at 783 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 53185 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.