Frost Dates for 54555 — Phillips, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Prentice #2, WI see their last 32°F night by May 23; only one in ten is past it by May 6, and one in ten still has one after June 6. Planting tender crops after May 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 1 20%, and after June 6 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 58% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 23 in half of years, as early as September 5 one year in ten, and holds off past October 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 24, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 124 days in a typical year, shorter than at 96% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 144 days one year in ten and falls short of 102 one year in ten. On average 190 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 June 2, and return around September 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 6 and April 8.

July is the warmest month at Prentice #2, WI, averaging 79°F by day and 54°F at night; January is the coldest at 21°F and 1°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 21% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,848 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 92% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 32% of them (598) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 512. Precipitation totals 32.6 inches a year, most in June (4.1") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 60% of it.

The nearest other station, Park Falls Dnr Hq, WI, 15 miles north of Phillips, has a last frost 8 days earlier (May 15), a first frost 5 days later (September 28), a season 10 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Phillips usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Prentice #2, WI, 12.8 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 42 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54555 is 13 miles from Prentice #2, WI, which stands at 1,540 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 54555 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.