U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00406806 · Tennessee

Frost Dates near Green Hill, TN

NOAA weather station Old Hickory WFO (USC00406806), Tennessee · elevation 590 ft (180 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Green Hill is the nearest town to the station (1.8 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 April 17only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season216 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Green Hill, TNSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 1 in half of the years, after April 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 23 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 20 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 216 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 1First frost ~Nov 4Frost season near Green Hill, TNSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 1 in half of the years, after April 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 23 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 20 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 216 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 1First frost ~Nov 4
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 17October 23
50% (typical)April 1November 4
90% (likely)March 17November 20
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
216 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 20
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 15

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 31 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 5 (1 day later). Frost-free season 219 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 Green Hill: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 17, 20% April 10, 30% April 7, 40% April 3, 50% April 1, 60% March 29, 70% March 26, 80% March 21, 90% March 17. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 4, 2022 March 14, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 20, 2025 March 22, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 17Apr 1Mar 172021: April 42022: March 142023: March 212024: March 202025: March 222026: March 18Fall near Green Hill: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 23, 20% October 27, 30% October 31, 40% November 1, 50% November 4, 60% November 6, 70% November 10, 80% November 14, 90% November 20. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 21, 2023 October 31, 2024 November 29, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 23Nov 4Nov 202021: November 42022: October 212023: October 312024: November 292025: November 10
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 4November 4
2022March 14October 21
2023March 21October 31
2024March 20November 29
2025March 22November 10
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 216 days between the 50% dates in the Green Hill area define the window in which tender crops can be grown, bounded by the median light-frost dates of April 1 and November 4.

For a cautious plan, gardeners should wait until the April 17 light-frost date, which carries only a 10 % chance that a frost will occur later, before setting out tender crops in spring; in fall they should finish harvesting tender crops by the October 23 light-frost date, which also has only a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier. The 50% dates of April 1 and November 4 simply mark where the odds of a light frost are even, while the hard-frost 50% dates of March 20 and November 15 indicate the median timing for 28 °F events.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so its timing matters especially for protecting vulnerable growth.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 17" 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 23" 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 Green Hill, TNNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Nashville, TN — 11 mi; 2 — Springfield, TN — 22 mi; 3 — Portland, TN — 24 mi; 4 — Murfreesboro, TN — 25 mi; 5 — Kingston Springs, TN — 32 mi.KY25 mi · 40 km1. Nashville, TN — 11 mi12. Springfield, TN — 22 mi23. Portland, TN — 24 mi34. Murfreesboro, TN — 25 mi45. Kingston Springs, TN — 32 mi5
  1. Nashville, TN 11 mi (18 km)
  2. Springfield, TN 22 mi (35 km)
  3. Portland, TN 24 mi (38 km)
  4. Murfreesboro, TN 25 mi (40 km)
  5. Kingston Springs, TN 32 mi (52 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 36.2469, -86.5631.