Frost Dates for 65775 — West Plains, Missouri

Half of springs at W Plains, MO see their last 32°F night by April 16; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after May 3. Planting tender crops after April 23 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 3 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 21 in half of years, as early as October 8 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 October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 189 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 209 days one year in ten and falls short of 166 one year in ten. On average 108 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 27, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at W Plains, MO, averaging 89°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 22°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 88% of years and May still brings one in 14% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,909 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 68% of the 158 Missouri stations. 36% of them (1,425) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 846. Precipitation totals 49.5 inches a year, most in April (5.7") and least in February (3.0"); May to September bring 42% of it.

The nearest other station, West Plains Municipal Airport, MO, 11 miles north of West Plains, has a last frost 8 days earlier (April 8), a first frost 4 days later (October 25), a season 10 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in West Plains usually arrives around January 3, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at W Plains, MO, 0.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65775 is under a mile from W Plains, MO, which stands at 1,105 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65775 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.