U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014895 · Ohio

Frost Dates near Akron, OH

NOAA weather station Akron Canton Regional Airport (USW00014895), Ohio · elevation 1208 ft (368 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Akron is the nearest town to the station (12.2 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 11only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season184 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Akron, OHSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 24 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 8 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 184 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 24First frost ~Oct 26Frost season near Akron, OHSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 24 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 8 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 184 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 24First frost ~Oct 26
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 11October 11
50% (typical)April 24October 26
90% (likely)April 10November 8
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
184 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 7

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 22 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 28 (2 days later). Frost-free season 187 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Akron: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 11, 20% May 5, 30% April 30, 40% April 27, 50% April 24, 60% April 21, 70% April 18, 80% April 15, 90% April 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 26, 2022 April 29, 2023 May 18, 2024 April 26, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 11Apr 24Apr 102021: April 262022: April 292023: May 182024: April 262025: April 172026: May 3Fall near Akron: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 16, 30% October 20, 40% October 23, 50% October 26, 60% October 30, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 8. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 November 15, 2023 October 22, 2024 November 12, 2025 October 25.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 26Nov 82021: November 32022: November 152023: October 222024: November 122025: October 25
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 26November 3
2022April 29November 15
2023May 18October 22
2024April 26November 12
2025April 17October 25
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 11 is the cautious spring date for the Akron area, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost will occur later; this lets a gardener schedule the first out-planting of tender crops with minimal frost risk. The 50 % date is April 24, marking an even chance of a light frost later in the season, while the 50 % date is October 26, indicating an even chance of a light frost earlier in the fall.

October 11 serves as the cautious fall date, carrying a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived and guiding the latest safe harvest of tender crops. The 50 % hard-frost dates are April 13 and November 7; hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants that survive a 32 °F light frost. Over the 30-year record, the two 32 °F 50 % dates are 184 days apart.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 11" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 11" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Akron, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Wooster, OH — 27 mi; 2 — Hiram, OH — 35 mi; 3 — Dennison, OH — 36 mi; 4 — Millersburg, OH — 37 mi; 5 — Warren, OH — 38 mi.PAWV25 mi · 40 km1. Wooster, OH — 27 mi12. Hiram, OH — 35 mi23. Dennison, OH — 36 mi34. Millersburg, OH — 37 mi45. Warren, OH — 38 mi5
  1. Wooster, OH 27 mi (43 km)
  2. Hiram, OH 35 mi (56 km)
  3. Dennison, OH 36 mi (57 km)
  4. Millersburg, OH 37 mi (59 km)
  5. Warren, OH 38 mi (61 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 40.9167, -81.4333.