Frost Dates for 54732 — Cornell, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Holcombe, 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 21. Planting tender crops after May 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 70% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 2 in half of years, as early as September 19 one year in ten, and holds off past October 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 149 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 169 days one year in ten and falls short of 128 one year in ten. On average 173 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 18, and return around September 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 31.

July is the warmest month at Holcombe, WI, averaging 80°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 22°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 67% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,152 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 79% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 32% of them (691) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 594. Precipitation totals 33.4 inches a year, most in June (4.7") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Bloomer, WI, 16 miles west of Cornell, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day later (October 3), a season 2 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cornell usually arrives around November 17, and the last of the season around March 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sheldon, WI, 14.6 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54732 is 5 miles from Holcombe, WI, which stands at 1,057 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 54732 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.