U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003945 · Missouri

Frost Dates for Columbia, MO

NOAA weather station Columbia Regional Airport (USW00003945), Missouri · elevation 893 ft (272 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 21only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season205 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Columbia, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 21 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 205 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Oct 29Frost season at Columbia, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 21 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 205 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Oct 29
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 21October 16
50% (typical)April 7October 29
90% (likely)March 23November 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
205 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 28
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 7 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 202 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 Columbia: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 21, 20% April 16, 30% April 13, 40% April 10, 50% April 7, 60% April 4, 70% April 1, 80% March 30, 90% March 23. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 March 29, 2024 April 5, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 21Apr 7Mar 232021: April 222022: April 192023: March 292024: April 52025: April 82026: March 28Fall at Columbia: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 16, 20% October 20, 30% October 23, 40% October 26, 50% October 29, 60% October 31, 70% November 2, 80% November 5, 90% November 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 16Oct 29Nov 112021: November 32022: October 172023: October 302024: October 162025: November 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. ◆ 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 22November 3
2022April 19October 17
2023March 29October 30
2024April 5October 16
2025April 8November 2
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 21 is the cautious spring light-frost date, giving gardeners a point at which there is only a 10 % chance of a frost later and allowing the safe setting out of tender crops. Planting any earlier, such as on March 23 when the chance of a later frost rises to 90 %, would be a gamble.

The 50 % dates show where the odds split evenly. For light frost the median dates are April 7 in spring and October 29 in fall; for hard frost they are March 28 and November 6. At each of these dates a gardener faces an even chance that a frost will occur after (spring) or before (fall). The cautious fall date is October 16, when only a 10 % chance of a frost earlier exists, while November 11 carries a 90 % chance and would be risky for tender crops.

Hard frost at 28 °F matters more than light frost at 32 °F because the lower temperature can damage plant tissue that survives a milder 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 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 16" 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 Columbia, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Jefferson City, MO — 16 mi; 2 — California, MO — 22 mi; 3 — New Franklin, MO — 32 mi; 4 — Freedom, MO — 37 mi; 5 — Eldon, MO — 38 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Jefferson City, MO — 16 mi12. California, MO — 22 mi23. New Franklin, MO — 32 mi34. Freedom, MO — 37 mi45. Eldon, MO — 38 mi5
  1. Jefferson City, MO 16 mi (26 km)
  2. California, MO 22 mi (36 km)
  3. New Franklin, MO 32 mi (52 km)
  4. Freedom, MO 37 mi (60 km)
  5. Eldon, MO 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: 38.8169, -92.2183.