Frost Dates for 74426 — Checotah, Oklahoma

Half of springs at Muskogee Davis Field, OK see their last 32°F night by April 2; only one in ten is past it by March 13, and one in ten still has one after April 20. Planting tender crops after April 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 13 20%, and after April 20 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 2 in half of years, as early as October 20 one year in ten, and holds off past November 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 6, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 216 days in a typical year, longer than at 65% of the 114 Oklahoma stations; it reaches 237 days one year in ten and falls short of 194 one year in ten. On average 72 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 13, and return around October 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 96% of winters, usually between December 20 and February 9.

July is the warmest month at Muskogee Davis Field, OK, averaging 92°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 50°F and 28°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 54% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,116 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 54% of the 114 Oklahoma stations. 38% of them (1,943) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 979. Precipitation totals 43.3 inches a year, most in May (5.5") and least in February (2.2"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Webbers Falls 5 WSW, OK, 19 miles east of Checotah, has a last frost 4 days later (April 6), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 30), a season 10 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Checotah usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around February 21. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Oktaha 2 NE, OK, 12.3 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 40 days after the last snow.

ZIP 74426 is 18 miles from Muskogee Davis Field, OK, which stands at 610 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 74426 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.