Frost Dates for 63552 — Macon, Missouri

Half of springs at Long Branch Rsvr, MO see their last 32°F night by April 8; only one in ten is past it by March 23, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 19 20%, and after April 24 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 35% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 14 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 12, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 201 days in a typical year, longer than at 72% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 221 days one year in ten and falls short of 180 one year in ten. On average 119 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 14 days longer, to about April 22, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 3 and March 2.

July is the warmest month at Long Branch Rsvr, MO, averaging 88°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 74% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,921 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 62% of the 158 Missouri stations. 36% of them (1,414) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 862. Precipitation totals 42.0 inches a year, most in June (5.5") and least in January (1.6"); May to September bring 55% of it.

The nearest other station, Moberly, MO, 23 miles south of Macon, has a last frost 5 days later (April 13), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 25), a season 6 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Macon usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around February 23. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Long Branch Rsvr, MO, 2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 77% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 44 days after the last snow.

ZIP 63552 is 2 miles from Long Branch Rsvr, MO, which stands at 820 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 63552 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.