U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00122309 · Indiana

Frost Dates near French Lick, IN

NOAA weather station Dubois S In Forage Farm (USC00122309), Indiana · elevation 690 ft (210 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

French Lick is the nearest town to the station (7.7 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 May 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season172 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near French Lick, INSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 26 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 172 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 15Frost season near French Lick, INSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 26 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 172 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 15
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 12October 3
50% (typical)April 25October 15
90% (likely)April 10October 26
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
172 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 24 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 18 (3 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 near French Lick: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 6, 30% May 2, 40% April 29, 50% April 25, 60% April 22, 70% April 18, 80% April 15, 90% April 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 28, 2023 May 4, 2024 April 26, 2025 April 13, 2026 May 4.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 12Apr 25Apr 102021: April 232022: April 282023: May 42024: April 262025: April 132026: May 4Fall near French Lick: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 3, 20% October 7, 30% October 10, 40% October 13, 50% October 15, 60% October 18, 70% October 20, 80% October 23, 90% October 26. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 10, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 23.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 3Oct 15Oct 262021: October 272022: October 92023: October 102024: October 162025: October 23
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 28October 9
2023May 4October 10
2024April 26October 16
2025April 13October 23
2026May 4season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 3 is the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the French Lick area, carrying only a 10 % chance that a light frost has occurred earlier. The matching cautious spring date is May 12, when the chance of a light frost later is also 10 %.

The 50 % date is April 25, indicating an even-odds chance of a light frost later than that day, while the 50 % date is October 15, indicating an even-odds chance of a light frost earlier than that day. Gardeners who prefer a lower risk will plan tender-crop activities around the cautious dates—May 12 for setting out seedlings and October 3 for pulling them in. The median hard-frost dates are April 13 and October 25, both representing a 50 % chance of temperatures reaching 28 °F.

A hard frost at 28 °F is more damaging than a light frost at 32 °F because it freezes plant tissues at a lower temperature.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 12" 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 3" 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 French Lick, INNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Shoals, IN — 8 mi; 2 — Paoli, IN — 13 mi; 3 — near Oolitic, IN — 31 mi; 4 — Tell City, IN — 35 mi; 5 — Boonville, IN — 43 mi.KYIL25 mi · 40 km1. Shoals, IN — 8 mi12. Paoli, IN — 13 mi23. near Oolitic, IN — 31 mi34. Tell City, IN — 35 mi45. Boonville, IN — 43 mi5
  1. Shoals, IN 8 mi (14 km)
  2. Paoli, IN 13 mi (22 km)
  3. near Oolitic, IN 31 mi (50 km)
  4. Tell City, IN 35 mi (56 km)
  5. Boonville, IN 43 mi (69 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: 38.4558, -86.6983.