U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00355050 · Oregon

Frost Dates near Lowell, OR

NOAA weather station Lookout Point Dam (USC00355050), Oregon · elevation 712 ft (217 m) · hardiness zone 9a*

Lowell is the nearest town to the station (1.2 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 2only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season263 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone9acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Lowell, ORSpring: a frost after February 4 in 9 years out of 10, after March 7 in half of the years, after April 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 27 in half of the years, before December 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 263 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 7First frost ~Nov 27Frost season near Lowell, ORSpring: a frost after February 4 in 9 years out of 10, after March 7 in half of the years, after April 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 27 in half of the years, before December 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 263 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 7First frost ~Nov 27
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 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 2November 1
50% (typical)March 7November 27
90% (likely)February 4December 21
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
263 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 2
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 16

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 6 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 28 (1 day later). Frost-free season 263 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 Lowell: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 2, 20% March 25, 30% March 18, 40% March 11, 50% March 7, 60% February 28, 70% February 23, 80% February 16, 90% February 4. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 12, 2022 March 10, 2023 March 1, 2024 March 8, 2025 February 15, 2026 January 25.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1Apr 2Mar 7Feb 42021: April 122022: March 102023: March 12024: March 82025: February 152026: January 25Fall near Lowell: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 1, 20% November 9, 30% November 16, 40% November 22, 50% November 27, 60% December 1, 70% December 6, 80% December 12, 90% December 21. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 18, 2022 November 15, 2023 October 29, 2024 November 28, 2025 January 14.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Jan 1Nov 1Nov 27Dec 212021: November 182022: November 152023: October 292024: November 282025: January 14
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 12November 18
2022March 10November 15
2023March 1October 29
2024March 8November 28
2025February 15January 14
2026January 25season not over yet

What these dates mean

November 1 is the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. In spring, the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 2, which carries a 10% chance of a frost later than that day; planting on February 4 would be a gamble with a 90% chance of frost.

The 50% light-frost dates are March 7 in spring and November 27 in fall; each marks the day when a gardener faces an even odds of a frost occurring after (spring) or before (fall) that date. The median hard-frost dates are February 2 in spring and December 16 in fall, indicating when a 28 °F frost is equally likely to have happened or not. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage or kill plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so it is a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 2" 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 November 1" 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 Lowell, ORNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Leaburg, OR — 13 mi; 2 — Dorena, OR — 14 mi; 3 — Cottage Grove, OR — 16 mi; 4 — near Oakridge, OR — 20 mi; 5 — near Eugene, OR — 27 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Leaburg, OR — 13 mi12. Dorena, OR — 14 mi23. Cottage Grove, OR — 16 mi34. near Oakridge, OR — 20 mi45. near Eugene, OR — 27 mi5
  1. Leaburg, OR 13 mi (22 km)
  2. Dorena, OR 14 mi (22 km)
  3. Cottage Grove, OR 16 mi (25 km)
  4. near Oakridge, OR 20 mi (32 km)
  5. near Eugene, OR 27 mi (44 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 9a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 43.9139, -122.76.