U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00093812 · Ohio

Frost Dates near Cincinnati, OH

NOAA weather station Cincinnati Lunken Airport (USW00093812), Ohio · elevation 490 ft (149 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Cincinnati is the nearest town to the station (5.4 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 3only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season190 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Cincinnati, OHSpring: a frost after April 2 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 190 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 25Frost season near Cincinnati, OHSpring: a frost after April 2 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 190 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 25
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 3October 12
50% (typical)April 16October 25
90% (likely)April 2November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
190 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 2
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 16 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (1 day later). Frost-free season 193 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 Cincinnati: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 3, 20% April 27, 30% April 23, 40% April 19, 50% April 16, 60% April 14, 70% April 10, 80% April 6, 90% April 2. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 17, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 12, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 3Apr 16Apr 22021: April 232022: April 172023: April 252024: April 222025: April 122026: May 3Fall near Cincinnati: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 12, 20% October 16, 30% October 20, 40% October 22, 50% October 25, 60% October 28, 70% October 30, 80% November 1, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 November 6.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 12Oct 25Nov 52021: October 272022: October 82023: October 312024: October 172025: November 6
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 23October 27
2022April 17October 8
2023April 25October 31
2024April 22October 17
2025April 12November 6
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on April 2 in the Cincinnati area carries a 90 % chance of a light frost later, making it a gamble for gardeners.

The 50 % date of April 16 represents a 50 % chance of a light frost later than that date, while the 50 % date of October 25 indicates a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than that date. For a cautious plan, gardeners use the May 3 date in spring and the October 12 date in fall as the points with only a 10 % chance of a later (spring) or earlier (fall) frost.

Hard-frost thresholds are shown by the 50 % dates of April 2 in spring and November 4 in fall; a 28 °F hard frost can injure or kill plants that would survive a 32 °F light frost, so it is a more critical concern.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 3" 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 12" 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 Cincinnati, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cheviot, OH — 12 mi; 2 — near Burlington, KY — 14 mi; 3 — Fairfield, OH — 19 mi; 4 — Franklin, OH — 32 mi; 5 — Xenia, OH — 44 mi.OHINKY25 mi · 40 km1. Cheviot, OH — 12 mi12. near Burlington, KY — 14 mi23. Fairfield, OH — 19 mi34. Franklin, OH — 32 mi45. Xenia, OH — 44 mi5
  1. Cheviot, OH 12 mi (19 km)
  2. near Burlington, KY 14 mi (23 km)
  3. Fairfield, OH 19 mi (31 km)
  4. Franklin, OH 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Xenia, OH 44 mi (71 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: 39.1033, -84.4189.