U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00213567 · Minnesota

Frost Dates near Hastings, MN

NOAA weather station Hastings Dam 2 (USC00213567), Minnesota · elevation 680 ft (207 m) · hardiness zone 5a*

Hastings is the nearest town to the station (1.4 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 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season177 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Hastings, MNSpring: a frost after April 8 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 5 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 177 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 19Frost season near Hastings, MNSpring: a frost after April 8 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 5 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 177 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 19
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 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 7October 5
50% (typical)April 23October 19
90% (likely)April 8November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
177 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 11
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 30

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 23 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (3 days later). Frost-free season 181 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 Hastings: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 7, 20% May 2, 30% April 30, 40% April 27, 50% April 23, 60% April 20, 70% April 17, 80% April 13, 90% April 8. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 2, 2023 April 20, 2024 April 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 7Apr 23Apr 82021: April 22023: April 202024: April 22Fall near Hastings: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 5, 20% October 10, 30% October 13, 40% October 16, 50% October 19, 60% October 22, 70% October 25, 80% October 28, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 16, 2023 October 28, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 5Oct 19Nov 12021: November 22022: October 162023: October 282024: October 162025: 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 2November 2
2022incomplete recordOctober 16
2023April 20October 28
2024April 22October 16
2025incomplete recordOctober 24
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on April 8 in the Hastings area carries a 90 % chance that a light frost will still occur, making it a gamble for a gardener. The cautious spring date is May 7, when only a 10 % chance of a later frost remains, and the 50 % date is April 23; there is a 50 % chance of a frost later than this date.

In the fall the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 5, with only a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier, while November 1 is a gamble because a 90 % chance of an earlier frost exists. The 50 % fall date is October 19; there is a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than this date.

The median hard-frost dates are April 11 and October 30; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F.

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 5" 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 Hastings, MNNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Rosemount, MN — 12 mi; 2 — River Falls, WI — 14 mi; 3 — near Red Wing, MN — 16 mi; 4 — Minneapolis (Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport), MN — 20 mi; 5 — Ellsworth, WI — 20 mi.WI25 mi · 40 km1. Rosemount, MN — 12 mi12. River Falls, WI — 14 mi23. near Red Wing, MN — 16 mi34. Minneapolis (Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport), MN — 20 mi45. Ellsworth, WI — 20 mi5
  1. Rosemount, MN 12 mi (19 km)
  2. River Falls, WI 14 mi (23 km)
  3. near Red Wing, MN 16 mi (26 km)
  4. Minneapolis (Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport), MN 20 mi (32 km)
  5. Ellsworth, WI 20 mi (33 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 44.7597, -92.8689.