Frost Dates for 54612 — Arcadia, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Dodge, WI see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 19. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 19 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 October 5 in half of years, as early as September 21 one year in ten, and holds off past October 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 152 days in a typical year, shorter than at 59% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 171 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 one year in ten. On average 158 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 15, and return around September 27. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 16 and March 24.

July is the warmest month at Dodge, WI, averaging 84°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 27°F and 8°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 67% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,746 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 87% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 35% of them (953) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 682. Precipitation totals 34.4 inches a year, most in June (5.0") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Blair, WI, 13 miles east of Arcadia and 170 feet higher, has a last frost 4 days later (May 9), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 1), a season 9 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Arcadia usually arrives around November 30, and the last of the season around March 23. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dodge, WI, 8.9 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 43 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54612 is 9 miles from Dodge, WI, which stands at 685 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 54612 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.