U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00221094 · Mississippi

Frost Dates near Brookhaven, MS

NOAA weather station Brookhaven City (USC00221094), Mississippi · elevation 435 ft (133 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Brookhaven is the nearest town to the station (2.6 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 April 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season242 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Brookhaven, MSSpring: a frost after February 22 in 9 years out of 10, after March 17 in half of the years, after April 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 26 in 1 year out of 10, before November 12 in half of the years, before December 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 242 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 17First frost ~Nov 12Frost season near Brookhaven, MSSpring: a frost after February 22 in 9 years out of 10, after March 17 in half of the years, after April 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 26 in 1 year out of 10, before November 12 in half of the years, before December 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 242 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 17First frost ~Nov 12
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.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 7October 26
50% (typical)March 17November 12
90% (likely)February 22December 2
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
242 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 1
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 28

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 13 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 11 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 246 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 Brookhaven: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 7, 20% April 1, 30% March 27, 40% March 22, 50% March 17, 60% March 12, 70% March 7, 80% March 1, 90% February 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 7Mar 17Feb 22Fall near Brookhaven: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 26, 20% November 1, 30% November 5, 40% November 8, 50% November 12, 60% November 16, 70% November 20, 80% November 26, 90% December 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 26Nov 12Dec 2
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.

What these dates mean

October 26 marks the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest of tender crops in the Brookhaven area, because there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier.

For spring planting, the cautious date is April 7, the point at which a light frost later than that date has only a 10 % chance. The 50 % light-frost dates—March 17 in spring and November 12 in fall—represent the median odds of a frost occurring after or before those days. The hard-frost 50 % dates are March 1 and November 28, indicating the midpoint for a 28 °F freeze. A hard frost matters more than a light frost because a temperature of 28 °F can damage plant tissue that would survive a 32 °F frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 7" 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 26" 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 Brookhaven, MSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hazlehurst, MS — 20 mi; 2 — near McComb, MS — 25 mi; 3 — D'Lo, MS — 42 mi; 4 — Columbia, MS — 42 mi; 5 — Natchez, MS — 52 mi.LA25 mi · 40 km1. Hazlehurst, MS — 20 mi12. near McComb, MS — 25 mi23. D'Lo, MS — 42 mi34. Columbia, MS — 42 mi45. Natchez, MS — 52 mi5
  1. Hazlehurst, MS 20 mi (32 km)
  2. near McComb, MS 25 mi (40 km)
  3. D'Lo, MS 42 mi (67 km)
  4. Columbia, MS 42 mi (68 km)
  5. Natchez, MS 52 mi (84 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 31.5447, -90.4581.