Frost Dates for 54848 — Ladysmith, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Ladysmith 3W, WI see their last 32°F night by May 27; only one in ten is past it by May 14, and one in ten still has one after June 8. Planting tender crops after June 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 4 20%, and after June 8 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 22 in half of years, as early as September 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 117 days in a typical year, the shortest of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 136 days one year in ten and falls short of 96 one year in ten. On average 192 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 11 days longer, to about June 7, and return around September 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 6 and April 10.

July is the warmest month at Ladysmith 3W, WI, averaging 79°F by day and 53°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 2°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 35% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,770 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 96% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 32% of them (566) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 485. Precipitation totals 35.8 inches a year, most in June (5.1") and least in February (1.0"); May to September bring 60% of it.

The nearest other station, Weyerhaeuser 1N, WI, 15 miles west of Ladysmith, has a last frost 18 days earlier (May 9), a first frost 7 days later (September 29), a season 23 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ladysmith usually arrives around November 10, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Big Falls Hydro, 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 46 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54848 is 1 mile from Ladysmith 3W, WI, which stands at 1,130 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 54848 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.