Frost Dates for 65281 — Salisbury, Missouri

Half of springs at Salisbury, MO see their last 32°F night by April 12; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 29 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 22 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 18, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 190 days in a typical year, shorter than at 66% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 211 days one year in ten and falls short of 168 one year in ten. On average 116 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 13 days longer, to about April 25, and return around October 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Salisbury, MO, averaging 88°F by day and 67°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°F and 18°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 84% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,910 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 67% of the 158 Missouri stations. 36% of them (1,422) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 851. Precipitation totals 39.8 inches a year, most in June (5.5") and least in January (1.5"); May to September bring 56% of it.

The nearest other station, Moberly, MO, 20 miles east of Salisbury, has a last frost 1 day later (April 13), a first frost 3 days later (October 25), a season 5 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Salisbury usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Salisbury, MO, 2.6 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 40 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65281 is 3 miles from Salisbury, MO, which stands at 730 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65281 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.