Frost Dates for 54981 — Waupaca, Wisconsin

Half of springs at Waupaca, WI see their last 32°F night by May 8; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 84% of the 182 Wisconsin stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 6 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past October 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 151 days in a typical year, shorter than at 62% of the 182 Wisconsin stations; it reaches 168 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 162 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 May 19, and return around September 27. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 17 and March 28.

July is the warmest month at Waupaca, WI, averaging 82°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°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 73% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,383 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 56% of the 182 Wisconsin stations. 33% of them (777) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 632. Precipitation totals 33.8 inches a year, most in June (4.5") and least in February (1.1"); May to September bring 58% of it.

The nearest other station, New London, WI, 20 miles east of Waupaca, has a last frost 4 days earlier (May 4), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Waupaca usually arrives around November 23, and the last of the season around April 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Waupaca, WI, 3.2 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 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 54981 is 3 miles from Waupaca, WI, which stands at 837 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 54981 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.