Frost Dates for 65542 — Licking, Missouri

Half of springs at Licking 4N, MO see their last 32°F night by April 20; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 5 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 19 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 25, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 181 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 203 days one year in ten and falls short of 158 one year in ten. On average 109 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 30, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 5.

July is the warmest month at Licking 4N, MO, averaging 88°F by day and 67°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 21°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 89% of years and May still brings one in 20% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,972 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 158 Missouri stations. 37% of them (1,456) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 846. Precipitation totals 46.4 inches a year, most in May (5.5") and least in February (2.7"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Houston, MO, 13 miles southwest of Licking, has a last frost 10 days earlier (April 10), a first frost 4 days later (October 23), a season 13 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Licking usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Licking 4N, MO, 4.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 88% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65542 is 5 miles from Licking 4N, MO, which stands at 1,180 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65542 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.