Frost Dates for 65781 — Willard, Missouri

Half of springs at Springfield, MO see their last 32°F night by April 9; only one in ten is past it by March 26, and one in ten still has one after April 27. Planting tender crops after April 16 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 27 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 82% 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 8 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 14, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 199 days in a typical year, longer than at 64% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 219 days one year in ten and falls short of 179 one year in ten. On average 95 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 22, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 7 and February 27.

July is the warmest month at Springfield, MO, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 24°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 72% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,408 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 86% of the 158 Missouri stations. 37% of them (1,628) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 905. Precipitation totals 44.8 inches a year, most in May (5.6") and least in February (2.4"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Ash Grove 4S, MO, 11 miles southwest of Willard, has a last frost 2 days later (April 11), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 24), a season 3 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Willard usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Springfield, MO, 7.4 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 65781 is 7 miles from Springfield, MO, which stands at 1,278 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65781 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.