U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00131635 · Iowa

Frost Dates near Camanche, IA

NOAA weather station Clinton #1 (USC00131635), Iowa · elevation 585 ft (178 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Camanche is the nearest town to the station (0.6 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 May 8only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2250% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season175 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Camanche, IASpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 8 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 16Frost season near Camanche, IASpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 8 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 16
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 8October 2
50% (typical)April 22October 16
90% (likely)April 9October 28
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
175 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 23 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 19 (3 days later). Frost-free season 177 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 Camanche: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 8, 20% May 2, 30% April 29, 40% April 26, 50% April 22, 60% April 19, 70% April 17, 80% April 14, 90% April 9. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 25, 2023 April 26, 2024 April 21, 2025 April 16, 2026 April 20.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 8Apr 22Apr 92021: April 252023: April 262024: April 212025: April 162026: April 20Fall near Camanche: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 2, 20% October 7, 30% October 11, 40% October 13, 50% October 16, 60% October 19, 70% October 21, 80% October 24, 90% October 28. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 23, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 23.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 2Oct 16Oct 282021: October 232022: October 82023: October 302024: October 162025: October 23
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 25October 23
2022incomplete recordOctober 8
2023April 26October 30
2024April 21October 16
2025April 16October 23
2026April 20season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 8 is the cautious spring date for the Camanche area; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost later, a gardener can confidently set out tender crops after that day.

The 50% light-frost date is April 22, and there is a 50 % chance of a frost later than this date. In the fall the 50% light-frost date is October 16, and there is a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than this date. The cautious fall date is October 2, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived, allowing the gardener to finish harvesting tender crops.

Hard-frost thresholds (28 °F) are more damaging than the 32 °F light-frost thresholds, so the median hard-frost dates of April 13 and October 25 are important markers for severe frost risk.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 8" 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 2" 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 Camanche, IANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Morrison, IL — 15 mi; 2 — near Le Claire, IA — 17 mi; 3 — Geneseo, IL — 24 mi; 4 — near Rock Island, IL — 25 mi; 5 — near Moline, IL — 26 mi.ILIA25 mi · 40 km1. Morrison, IL — 15 mi12. near Le Claire, IA — 17 mi23. Geneseo, IL — 24 mi34. near Rock Island, IL — 25 mi45. near Moline, IL — 26 mi5
  1. Morrison, IL 15 mi (25 km)
  2. near Le Claire, IA 17 mi (27 km)
  3. Geneseo, IL 24 mi (39 km)
  4. near Rock Island, IL 25 mi (40 km)
  5. near Moline, IL 26 mi (43 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.7947, -90.2639.