Frost Dates for 63834 — Charleston, Missouri

Half of springs at Cairo 3N, IL see their last 32°F night by April 2; only one in ten is past it by March 19, and one in ten still has one after April 17. Planting tender crops after April 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 11 20%, and after April 17 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 54% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 31 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 8, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 211 days in a typical year, longer than at 91% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 229 days one year in ten and falls short of 191 one year in ten. On average 81 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 April 12, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 18 and February 20.

July is the warmest month at Cairo 3N, IL, averaging 89°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 26°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 56% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,539 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 92% of the 158 Missouri stations. 39% of them (1,753) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 904.

The nearest other station, Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO, 17 miles west of Charleston, has a last frost 7 days earlier (March 26), a first frost 6 days later (November 6), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Charleston usually arrives around December 28, and the last of the season around February 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cairo 3N, IL, 11.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 78% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 49 days after the last snow.

ZIP 63834 is 11 miles from Cairo 3N, IL, which stands at 313 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 63834 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.