Frost Dates for 65351 — Sweet Springs, Missouri

Half of springs at Sweet Springs, MO see their last 32°F night by April 17; only one in ten is past it by April 3, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 2 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 20 in half of years, as early as October 1 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 184 days in a typical year, shorter than at 81% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 205 days one year in ten and falls short of 162 one year in ten. On average 112 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 28, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Sweet Springs, MO, averaging 89°F by day and 67°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 17°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 13% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,921 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 63% of the 158 Missouri stations. 37% of them (1,433) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 857. Precipitation totals 42.8 inches a year, most in May (5.5") and least in January (1.5"); May to September bring 56% of it.

The nearest other station, Marshall, MO, 14 miles northeast of Sweet Springs, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 10), a first frost 4 days later (October 24), a season 12 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sweet Springs usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sweet Springs, MO, 1.3 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 45 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65351 is 1 mile from Sweet Springs, MO, which stands at 675 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 64020 (Concordia). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65351 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.