Frost Dates for 54487 — Tomahawk, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI see their last 32°F night by May 10; only one in ten is past it by April 28, and one in ten still has one after May 27. Planting tender crops after May 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 27 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 4 in half of years, as early as September 21 one year in ten, and holds off past October 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 146 days in a typical year, shorter than at 73% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 165 days one year in ten and falls short of 126 one year in ten. On average 177 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 13 days longer, to about May 23, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and April 5.

July is the warmest month at Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI, averaging 77°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 21°F and 2°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 82% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,853 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 92% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 31% of them (580) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 522. Precipitation totals 31.7 inches a year, most in June (4.2") and least in February (1.1"); May to September bring 58% of it.

The nearest other station, Rhinelander Oneida Airport, WI, 15 miles northeast of Tomahawk, has a last frost 16 days later (May 26), a first frost 11 days earlier (September 23), a season 26 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tomahawk usually arrives around November 9, and the last of the season around April 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI, 1.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 25 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54487 is 2 miles from Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI, which stands at 1,460 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 54487 in zone 4a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -30 to -25°F (-34.4 to -31.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.