USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 64870 — Webb City, Missouri
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Joplin Regional Airport, MO (980 ft), 2 miles west.
Updated
In Webb City, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 9 in half of years and has passed by April 26 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 27, as early as October 12 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 200 days (NOAA, Joplin Regional Airport, MO).
- Last spring frost
- April 9
- First fall frost
- October 27
- Growing season
- 200 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 31
- Last snow
- February 22
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Webb City
Half of springs at Joplin Regional Airport, MO see their last 32°F night by April 9; only one in ten is past it by March 24, and one in ten still has one after April 26. Planting tender crops after April 16 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 26 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 66% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 27 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 200 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 221 days one year in ten and falls short of 178 one year in ten. On average 87 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 12 days longer, to about April 21, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 8 and February 25.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 4 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 6 |
| 32°F | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 26 |
| 28°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 9 | Apr 16 |
| 24°F | Feb 26 | Mar 3 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 4 |
| 20°F | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 24 |
| 16°F | Feb 1 | Feb 9 | Feb 15 | Feb 20 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 14 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 3 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 21 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 22 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 4 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 |
| 16°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Joplin Regional Airport, MO, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 64870 →Compare Webb City with another place →
Weather by month in Webb City
July is the warmest month at Joplin Regional Airport, MO, averaging 90°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 45°F and 25°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 72% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,594 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 93% of the 158 Missouri stations. 37% of them (1,714) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 927. Precipitation totals 45.7 inches a year, most in May (6.6") and least in January (1.9"); May to September bring 52% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 1.9 | 100% | 23 | 14 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 2.0 | 100% | 18 | 30 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 3.3 | 99% | 10 | 118 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 72% | 2 | 271 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 6.6 | 4% | <1 | 513 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.6 | 0% | 0 | 768 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 0% | 0 | 927 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 897 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 2% | 0 | 622 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 65% | 2 | 315 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.3 | 100% | 10 | 97 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 2.6 | 100% | 21 | 22 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Joplin Regional Airport, MO (980 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Carthage, MO, 9 miles east of Webb City, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 4), the same first-frost date, a season 4 days longer.
When it snows in Webb City, Missouri
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Webb City usually arrives around December 31, and the last of the season around February 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Carthage, MO, 9.5 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.
Planting calendar for 64870
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 29 – February 12 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 12 – February 26 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 12 – March 26 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 9 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 13 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 27 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 64870 is 2 miles from Joplin Regional Airport, MO, which stands at 980 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 64804 (Joplin). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 64870 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.