U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00093842 · Georgia

Frost Dates near Columbus, GA

NOAA weather station Columbus Metro Airport (USW00093842), Georgia · elevation 392 ft (120 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Columbus is the nearest town to the station (4.7 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 March 24only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season265 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Columbus, GASpring: a frost after February 11 in 9 years out of 10, after March 5 in half of the years, after March 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 7 in 1 year out of 10, before November 23 in half of the years, before December 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 265 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 5First frost ~Nov 23Frost season near Columbus, GASpring: a frost after February 11 in 9 years out of 10, after March 5 in half of the years, after March 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 7 in 1 year out of 10, before November 23 in half of the years, before December 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 265 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 5First frost ~Nov 23
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)March 24November 7
50% (typical)March 5November 23
90% (likely)February 11December 18
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
265 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 21
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 12

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 5 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 21 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 261 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 Columbus: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% March 24, 20% March 18, 30% March 14, 40% March 10, 50% March 5, 60% March 1, 70% February 26, 80% February 20, 90% February 11. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 February 21, 2022 March 14, 2023 March 21, 2024 February 20, 2025 February 22, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1Mar 24Mar 5Feb 112021: February 212022: March 142023: March 212024: February 202025: February 222026: March 18Fall near Columbus: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 7, 20% November 12, 30% November 16, 40% November 19, 50% November 23, 60% November 28, 70% December 3, 80% December 8, 90% December 18. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 24, 2022 November 18, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 30, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Jan 1Nov 7Nov 23Dec 182021: November 242022: November 182023: November 22024: November 302025: November 11
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
2021February 21November 24
2022March 14November 18
2023March 21November 2
2024February 20November 30
2025February 22November 11
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

November 7 marks the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the Columbus area, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. The median light-frost date of November 23 is not itself a frost date but indicates the point where the probability of frost earlier versus later is equal.

In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is March 24, when there is a 10% chance of a frost occurring later. The 50% date of March 5 tells a gardener that the likelihood of a frost after that day is even. For hard frosts, the median dates are February 21 in spring and December 12 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage vegetation more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so those dates are especially relevant.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after March 24" 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 November 7" 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 Columbus, GANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cuthbert, GA — 52 mi; 2 — Alexander City, AL — 66 mi; 3 — Carrollton, GA — 75 mi; 4 — Cordele, GA — 77 mi; 5 — Troy, AL — 78 mi.GAAL50 mi · 80 km1. Cuthbert, GA — 52 mi12. Alexander City, AL — 66 mi23. Carrollton, GA — 75 mi34. Cordele, GA — 77 mi45. Troy, AL — 78 mi5
  1. Cuthbert, GA 52 mi (84 km)
  2. Alexander City, AL 66 mi (106 km)
  3. Carrollton, GA 75 mi (121 km)
  4. Cordele, GA 77 mi (125 km)
  5. Troy, AL 78 mi (125 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: 32.5161, -84.9422.