Your nature year
St. Joseph, Missourithrough the year
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to St. Joseph?
Head northwest for the closest of the 3 places we follow around St. Joseph. For a day trip, Loess Bluffs Refuge is 30 miles off; its winter wildlife is Oct 15–Nov 30 (local timing).
St. Joseph usually sees its last spring frost around Apr 19 and its first fall frost around Oct 17, a frost-free stretch of about 181 days at NOAA's St Joseph Rosecrans Mem Airport station, 4.7 miles away. Spring green-up reaches town around Mar 22, with first blooms around Apr 21. The town is about 906 feet above sea level.
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
St. Joseph's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 19 to ~Oct 17
- First leaf ~Mar 22
- First bloom ~Apr 21
- Today
Near St. Joseph right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 17 · last spring frost around Apr 19NOAA 1991–2020 normals, St Joseph Rosecrans Mem Airport (4.7 mi, 50% dates)~3 weeks
- Winter wildlife · Loess Bluffs Refuge · 30 miLocal timing: Oct 15–Nov 30~2 weeks
St. Joseph's nature year
- Mar: Spring green-upMar
- Apr: Last spring frostApr
- Winter wildlife · Loess Bluffs RefugeOct–Nov
- Oct: First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Winter wildlife
- Loess Bluffs Refuge · 30 miLocal timing: Oct 15–Nov 30~2 weeks
- Flint Hills Refuge · 117 miLocal timing: their peak numbers occurring in November~5 weeks
- DeSoto Refuge · 138 miLocal timing: Dec 1–Mar 10~2 months
Snow in St. Joseph
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 19 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Troy 3n (14.9 mi away): 21 inches of snow in an average year, about 7.3 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 19
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 17
About 181 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 22
First bloom around Apr 21
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at St Joseph Rosecrans Mem Airport (4.7 mi from St. Joseph), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in St. Joseph?
On average around Oct 17, and the last spring frost around Apr 19: about 181 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at St Joseph Rosecrans Mem Airport, 4.7 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach St. Joseph?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 22 and first bloom around Apr 21, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see winter wildlife near St. Joseph?
Loess Bluffs Refuge, 30 miles (local timing: Oct 15–Nov 30); Flint Hills Refuge, 117 miles (local timing: their peak numbers occurring in November); DeSoto Refuge, 138 miles (local timing: Dec 1–Mar 10). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in St. Joseph?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 19: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Troy 3n. An average year brings 21 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)