U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00122825 · Indiana

Frost Dates for Farmland, IN

NOAA weather station Farmland 5 NNW (USC00122825), Indiana · elevation 965 ft (294 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 11only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season173 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Farmland, INSpring: a frost after April 11 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 173 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 16Frost season at Farmland, INSpring: a frost after April 11 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 173 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 25First 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.

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)May 11October 1
50% (typical)April 25October 16
90% (likely)April 11October 29
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
173 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 14
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 27

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 25 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 20 (4 days later). Frost-free season 176 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 Farmland: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 11, 20% May 5, 30% May 1, 40% April 28, 50% April 25, 60% April 23, 70% April 20, 80% April 17, 90% April 11. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 10, 2022 April 27, 2023 May 4, 2024 April 25, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 11Apr 25Apr 112021: May 102022: April 272023: May 42024: April 252025: April 172026: May 3Fall at Farmland: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 6, 30% October 10, 40% October 13, 50% October 16, 60% October 18, 70% October 21, 80% October 24, 90% October 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 16Oct 29
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 10incomplete record
2022April 27incomplete record
2023May 4incomplete record
2024April 25incomplete record
2025April 17incomplete record
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

Farmland enjoys a 173-day span between the two 32 °F 50 % dates, April 25 and October 16, which marks the period where light frosts are equally likely to appear later in spring or earlier in fall. For a gardener this means that on April 25 there is a 50 % chance of a light frost later than this date, while on October 16 there is a 50 % chance of a light frost earlier than this date. The hard-frost 50 % dates are April 14 and October 27, indicating when an even odds of a 28 °F freeze occurs.

The cautious spring date for setting out tender crops is May 11, when only a 10 % chance of a light frost remains; the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 1, with likewise a 10 % chance that a frost has already arrived. A hard frost at 28 °F can kill tender tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost median dates of April 14 and October 27 define the tighter limits for the most sensitive plants.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 11" 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 1" 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 Farmland, INNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hartford City, IN — 15 mi; 2 — New Castle, IN — 28 mi; 3 — Greenville, OH — 28 mi; 4 — Berne, IN — 31 mi; 5 — Anderson, IN — 32 mi.INOH25 mi · 40 km1. Hartford City, IN — 15 mi12. New Castle, IN — 28 mi23. Greenville, OH — 28 mi34. Berne, IN — 31 mi45. Anderson, IN — 32 mi5
  1. Hartford City, IN 15 mi (23 km)
  2. New Castle, IN 28 mi (45 km)
  3. Greenville, OH 28 mi (46 km)
  4. Berne, IN 31 mi (50 km)
  5. Anderson, IN 32 mi (51 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: 40.2539, -85.1483.