U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014833 · Michigan

Frost Dates near Jackson, MI

NOAA weather station Jackson Reynolds Field (USW00014833), Michigan · elevation 998 ft (304 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Jackson is the nearest town to the station (3.7 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 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season164 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Jackson, MISpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after May 1 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 30 in 1 year out of 10, before October 14 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 1First frost ~Oct 14Frost season near Jackson, MISpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after May 1 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 30 in 1 year out of 10, before October 14 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 1First frost ~Oct 14
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)May 18September 30
50% (typical)May 1October 14
90% (likely)April 16October 28
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
164 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 20
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 28

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 2 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 19 (5 days later). Frost-free season 169 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 Jackson: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 18, 20% May 12, 30% May 7, 40% May 4, 50% May 1, 60% April 28, 70% April 25, 80% April 22, 90% April 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 14, 2022 April 28, 2024 April 25, 2025 May 9, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 18May 1Apr 162021: May 142022: April 282024: April 252025: May 92026: May 2Fall near Jackson: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 30, 20% October 5, 30% October 8, 40% October 11, 50% October 14, 60% October 17, 70% October 20, 80% October 23, 90% October 28. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 24, 2022 October 3, 2023 October 22, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 9.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 30Oct 14Oct 282021: October 242022: October 32023: October 222024: October 172025: October 9
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 14October 24
2022April 28October 3
2023incomplete recordOctober 22
2024April 25October 17
2025May 9October 9
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

September 30 marks the cautious fall date for the Jackson area, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, making it the point to aim for completing the harvest of tender crops. In spring the cautious date for setting out those same tender crops is May 18, when the chance of a light frost later in the season has dropped to 10 %.

The 50 % dates—May 1 for the light-frost season and October 14 for the fall—represent the moments a gardener faces even odds of a frost occurring; they are not frost dates themselves. The median hard-frost dates are April 20 in spring and October 28 in fall, indicating when temperatures of 28 °F become as likely as not. Because a hard frost can damage or kill vegetation that a light frost may only bruise, it is a more critical threshold for garden planning.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 18" 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 September 30" 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 Jackson, MINumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hillsdale, MI — 25 mi; 2 — Charlotte, MI — 27 mi; 3 — Adrian, MI — 33 mi; 4 — near Coldwater, MI — 34 mi; 5 — near Lansing, MI — 36 mi.MIOH25 mi · 40 km1. Hillsdale, MI — 25 mi12. Charlotte, MI — 27 mi23. Adrian, MI — 33 mi34. near Coldwater, MI — 34 mi45. near Lansing, MI — 36 mi5
  1. Hillsdale, MI 25 mi (40 km)
  2. Charlotte, MI 27 mi (43 km)
  3. Adrian, MI 33 mi (54 km)
  4. near Coldwater, MI 34 mi (55 km)
  5. near Lansing, MI 36 mi (58 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: 42.2667, -84.4667.