Frost Dates for 65753 — Sparta, Missouri

Half of springs at Oldfield, MO see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 8. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 8 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 13 in half of years, as early as September 29 one year in ten, and holds off past October 24 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 167 days in a typical year, shorter than at 99% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 184 days one year in ten and falls short of 149 one year in ten. On average 135 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 7 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 14.

July is the warmest month at Oldfield, MO, averaging 86°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 41°F and 20°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 29% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,250 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 99% of the 158 Missouri stations. 35% of them (1,153) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 731. Precipitation totals 48.6 inches a year, most in April (5.2") and least in January (2.6"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Ozark, MO, 9 miles west of Sparta, has a last frost 11 days earlier (April 15), a first frost 10 days later (October 23), a season 22 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sparta usually arrives around January 10, and the last of the season around February 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ozark, MO, 8.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 74% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 79 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65753 is 4 miles from Oldfield, MO, which stands at 1,240 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 65742 (Rogersville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65753 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.