Frost Dates for 73401 — Ardmore, Oklahoma

Half of springs at Ardmore, OK see their last 32°F night by March 15; only one in ten is past it by February 24, and one in ten still has one after April 2. Planting tender crops after March 23 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 28 20%, and after April 2 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 60% of the 114 Oklahoma stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 14 in half of years, as early as October 29 one year in ten, and holds off past December 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 22, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 244 days in a typical year, the longest of the 114 Oklahoma stations; it reaches 269 days one year in ten and falls short of 218 one year in ten. On average 46 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 12 days longer, to about March 27, and return around November 5. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 76%.

July is the warmest month at Ardmore, OK, averaging 95°F by day and 75°F at night; January is the coldest at 54°F and 32°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from December to February (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, March still brings one in 80% of years and April still brings one in 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 6,080 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), the most of the 114 Oklahoma stations. 39% of them (2,382) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,082. Precipitation totals 38.1 inches a year, most in May (5.7") and least in January (1.8"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Ardmore 7WNW Mesonet, OK, 5 miles northwest of Ardmore, has a last frost 6 days later (March 21), a first frost 6 days earlier (November 8), a season 13 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ardmore usually arrives around January 18, and the last of the season around February 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ardmore, OK, 2.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 60% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 36 days after the last snow.

ZIP 73401 is 2 miles from Ardmore, OK, which stands at 841 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 73401 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.