U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00123777 · Indiana

Frost Dates for Hartford City, IN

NOAA weather station Hartford City 4 ESE (USC00123777), Indiana · elevation 924 ft (282 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2250% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season181 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Hartford City, INSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 181 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 22Frost season at Hartford City, INSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 181 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 22
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 7October 7
50% (typical)April 22October 22
90% (likely)April 6November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
181 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 10
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 20 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 23 (1 day later). Frost-free season 186 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 Hartford City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 7, 20% May 2, 30% April 28, 40% April 25, 50% April 22, 60% April 19, 70% April 16, 80% April 12, 90% April 6. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 27, 2023 April 26, 2024 April 7, 2025 April 16, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 7Apr 22Apr 62021: April 232022: April 272023: April 262024: April 72025: April 162026: May 2Fall at Hartford City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 7, 20% October 12, 30% October 16, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 24, 70% October 26, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 4, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 7Oct 22Nov 32021: October 272022: October 42023: October 312024: October 172025: October 24
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 27October 4
2023April 26October 31
2024April 7October 17
2025April 16October 24
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

In Hartford City, setting out tender crops on April 6 carries a 90% chance of a frost later that season, so it is a gamble.

For a cautious plan, the light-frost date with only a 10% chance in spring is May 7; in fall the comparable cautious date is October 7. The median dates, April 22 for spring and October 22 for fall, represent a 50% chance of a light frost occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall). The hard-frost 50% dates are April 10 and November 1. The two 32°F 50% dates are 181 days apart, based on 28 years of record.

A hard frost at 28 °F matters more than a light frost at 32 °F because the lower temperature can injure or kill plants that would survive a light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 7" 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 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 Hartford City, INNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Farmland, IN — 15 mi; 2 — Marion, IN — 22 mi; 3 — Berne, IN — 25 mi; 4 — Bluffton, IN — 27 mi; 5 — Huntington, IN — 31 mi.INOH25 mi · 40 km1. Farmland, IN — 15 mi12. Marion, IN — 22 mi23. Berne, IN — 25 mi34. Bluffton, IN — 27 mi45. Huntington, IN — 31 mi5
  1. Farmland, IN 15 mi (23 km)
  2. Marion, IN 22 mi (35 km)
  3. Berne, IN 25 mi (40 km)
  4. Bluffton, IN 27 mi (44 km)
  5. Huntington, IN 31 mi (50 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: 40.4356, -85.2892.