Frost Dates for 74859 — Okemah, Oklahoma

Half of springs at Okemah, OK see their last 32°F night by March 24; only one in ten is past it by March 5, and one in ten still has one after April 10. Planting tender crops after March 31 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 4 20%, and after April 10 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 41% of the 114 Oklahoma stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 9 in half of years, as early as October 25 one year in ten, and holds off past November 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 29, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 229 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 114 Oklahoma stations; it reaches 254 days one year in ten and falls short of 204 one year in ten. On average 50 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 April 5, and return around November 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 90% of winters, usually between December 31 and February 5.

July is the warmest month at Okemah, OK, averaging 93°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 50°F and 30°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 29% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,353 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 80% of the 114 Oklahoma stations. 39% of them (2,082) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 996. Precipitation totals 43.5 inches a year, most in May (5.7") and least in January (1.8"); May to September bring 51% of it.

The nearest other station, Okmulgee Wtr Wks, OK, 20 miles northeast of Okemah and 288 feet lower, has a last frost 15 days later (April 8), a first frost 12 days earlier (October 28), a season 26 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Okemah usually arrives around December 25, and the last of the season around February 17. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Okemah, OK, 1.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 90% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 74859 is 1 mile from Okemah, OK, which stands at 935 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 74859 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.