U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00331458 · Ohio

Frost Dates for Chardon, OH

NOAA weather station Chardon (USC00331458), Ohio · elevation 1130 ft (344 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 21only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season164 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Chardon, OHSpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 21 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 18 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 18Frost season at Chardon, OHSpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 21 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 18 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 18
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 21October 2
50% (typical)May 5October 18
90% (likely)April 22November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
164 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 23
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 3 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 20 (2 days later). Frost-free season 167 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 at Chardon: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 21, 20% May 17, 30% May 12, 40% May 8, 50% May 5, 60% May 1, 70% April 29, 80% April 26, 90% April 22. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 April 30, 2023 May 18, 2024 April 26, 2025 June 1, 2026 May 12.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 21May 5Apr 222021: May 132022: April 302023: May 182024: April 262025: June 12026: May 12Fall at Chardon: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 2, 20% October 6, 30% October 11, 40% October 14, 50% October 18, 60% October 21, 70% October 24, 80% October 27, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 5, 2022 October 16, 2023 October 23, 2024 October 10, 2025 October 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 2Oct 18Nov 12021: November 52022: October 162023: October 232024: October 102025: October 10
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
2021May 13November 5
2022April 30October 16
2023May 18October 23
2024April 26October 10
2025June 1October 10
2026May 12season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 164 days between the 50% dates in Chardon define the span when a light frost is less likely than not; the median light-frost dates are May 5 and October 18, while the median hard-frost dates are April 23 and November 1. For a cautious planting plan, tender crops should be set out after the spring light-frost cautious date of May 21, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost, and harvested before the fall light-frost cautious date of October 2, which also has a 10 % chance of an earlier frost. Planting on April 22 or trying to keep tender crops until November 1 would involve a 90 % chance of frost and therefore is a gamble. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that would survive a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 21" 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 Chardon, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Painesville, OH — 13 mi; 2 — Hiram, OH — 21 mi; 3 — Dorset, OH — 28 mi; 4 — Warren, OH — 33 mi; 5 — Youngstown, OH — 35 mi.OHPANY25 mi · 40 km1. Painesville, OH — 13 mi12. Hiram, OH — 21 mi23. Dorset, OH — 28 mi34. Warren, OH — 33 mi45. Youngstown, OH — 35 mi5
  1. Painesville, OH 13 mi (20 km)
  2. Hiram, OH 21 mi (34 km)
  3. Dorset, OH 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Warren, OH 33 mi (53 km)
  5. Youngstown, OH 35 mi (57 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 41.5872, -81.1914.