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USDA Hardiness Zone 5b

Frost Dates for 53191 — Williams Bay, Wisconsin

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI (846 ft), 6 miles east.

Updated

In Williams Bay, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 25 in half of years and has passed by May 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 21, as early as October 5 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 179 days (NOAA, Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI).

Last spring frost
April 25

50% probability

First fall frost
October 21

50% probability

Growing season
179 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
5b

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

First snow
November 9

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
April 12

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

16 of 16 observed

Snow per year
40.1"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Williams Bay

Half of springs at Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 30% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 21 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 198 days one year in ten and falls short of 156 one year in ten. On average 136 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 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 14.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 21Apr 25Apr 30May 2May 5May 7May 11May 16May 21
32°FApr 10Apr 15Apr 19Apr 22Apr 25Apr 28Apr 30May 4May 10
28°FMar 31Apr 3Apr 6Apr 9Apr 12Apr 16Apr 18Apr 22Apr 28
24°FMar 18Mar 23Mar 27Mar 31Apr 2Apr 4Apr 6Apr 10Apr 16
20°FMar 7Mar 12Mar 16Mar 19Mar 22Mar 26Mar 29Apr 1Apr 5
16°FFeb 27Mar 4Mar 7Mar 10Mar 14Mar 17Mar 20Mar 24Mar 29
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 24Sep 30Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 23
32°FOct 5Oct 11Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 3
28°FOct 16Oct 23Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15
24°FOct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 27
20°FNov 7Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
16°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 17

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lake Geneva 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 53191 →Compare Williams Bay with another place →

Weather by month in Williams Bay

July is the warmest month at Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI, averaging 86°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 30°F and 15°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November 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 29% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,091 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 99% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 33% of them (1,009) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 753. Precipitation totals 37.0 inches a year, most in June (4.8") and least in January (1.9"); May to September bring 53% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan30151.9100%290
Feb35171.9100%251
Mar45262.3100%2313
Apr59373.599%986
May72484.129%1321
Jun81584.80%0588
Jul86633.70%0753
Aug83613.30%0693
Sep76543.75%<1454
Oct63423.083%4158
Nov47312.5100%1823
Dec35212.3100%272

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI (846 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, Delavan Wwtp, WI, 8 miles northwest of Williams Bay, has a last frost 3 days later (April 28), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 14), a season 11 days shorter.

Frost dates for 53121 (Elkhorn) →

When it snows in Williams Bay, Wisconsin

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Williams Bay usually arrives around November 9, and the last of the season around April 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI, 6.1 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 13 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 53191

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Williams Bay, Wisconsin
WhenWhat to do
February 14 – February 28Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 28 – March 14Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 28 – April 11Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 25 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 29Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 7Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 21 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 53191 is 6 miles from Lake Geneva Wwtp, WI, which stands at 846 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 53147 (Lake Geneva). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 53191 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