Frost Dates for 63901 — Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Half of springs at Poplar Bluff, MO see their last 32°F night by March 29; only one in ten is past it by March 10, and one in ten still has one after April 12. Planting tender crops after April 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 8 20%, and after April 12 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 80% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 5 in half of years, as early as October 22 one year in ten, and holds off past November 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 222 days in a typical year, longer than at 97% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 244 days one year in ten and falls short of 201 one year in ten. On average 83 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 April 9, and return around October 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 98% of winters, usually between December 24 and February 10.

July is the warmest month at Poplar Bluff, MO, averaging 91°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°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 42% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,704 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 96% of the 158 Missouri stations. 38% of them (1,795) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 947. Precipitation totals 52.4 inches a year, most in April (5.9") and least in September (3.3"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, Wappapello Dam, MO, 14 miles northeast of Poplar Bluff, has a last frost 4 days later (April 2), a first frost 3 days earlier (November 2), a season 7 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Poplar Bluff usually arrives around January 3, and the last of the season around February 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Poplar Bluff, MO, 0.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 82% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 63901 is under a mile from Poplar Bluff, MO, which stands at 370 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 63901 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.