Frost Dates for 65608 — Ava, Missouri

Half of springs at Wasola 5N, MO see their last 32°F night by April 10; only one in ten is past it by March 26, 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 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 35% 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 14 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 14, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 198 days in a typical year, longer than at 60% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 220 days one year in ten and falls short of 177 one year in ten. On average 96 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 23, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 8 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Wasola 5N, MO, averaging 87°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 23°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 78% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,970 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 158 Missouri stations. 37% of them (1,460) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 826. Precipitation totals 46.7 inches a year, most in May (5.3") and least in February (2.9"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Ava 6NW, MO, 8 miles northwest of Ava, has a last frost 13 days later (April 23), a first frost 10 days earlier (October 17), a season 23 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ava usually arrives around December 25, and the last of the season around February 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Mansfield, MO, 13.7 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 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65608 is 6 miles from Wasola 5N, MO, which stands at 1,226 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65608 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.