U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00235050 · Missouri

Frost Dates near Macon, MO

NOAA weather station Long Branch Reservoir (USC00235050), Missouri · elevation 820 ft (250 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Macon is the nearest town to the station (1.9 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 24only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season201 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Macon, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 8 in half of the years, after April 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 201 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 8First frost ~Oct 28Frost season near Macon, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 8 in half of the years, after April 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 201 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 8First frost ~Oct 28
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 24October 14
50% (typical)April 8October 28
90% (likely)March 23November 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
201 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 29
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 8 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 28. Frost-free season 204 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 Macon: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 24, 20% April 19, 30% April 14, 40% April 11, 50% April 8, 60% April 5, 70% April 2, 80% March 30, 90% March 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 24Apr 8Mar 23Fall near Macon: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 14, 20% October 19, 30% October 22, 40% October 25, 50% October 28, 60% October 30, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 14Oct 28Nov 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.

What these dates mean

April 24 is the cautious spring date for the Macon area, and it permits a gardener to plan setting out tender crops while only a 10 % chance of a later frost remains. By contrast, March 23 carries a 90 % chance, making an earlier planting a gamble.

The 50 % date is April 8, meaning a gardener faces a 50 % chance of a frost later than this date, and the 50 % date is October 28, meaning a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than this date. October 14 is the cautious fall date for finishing harvest of tender crops, with only a 10 % chance that frost has arrived earlier. The median hard-frost dates are March 29 and November 5.

Hard frosts at 28 °F can injure plants that would survive a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost dates are especially important for protecting sensitive vegetation.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 24" 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 14" 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 Macon, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Moberly, MO — 23 mi; 2 — Shelbina, MO — 25 mi; 3 — Salisbury, MO — 28 mi; 4 — Kirksville, MO — 32 mi; 5 — Steffenville, MO — 36 mi.ILIA25 mi · 40 km1. Moberly, MO — 23 mi12. Shelbina, MO — 25 mi23. Salisbury, MO — 28 mi34. Kirksville, MO — 32 mi45. Steffenville, MO — 36 mi5
  1. Moberly, MO 23 mi (37 km)
  2. Shelbina, MO 25 mi (40 km)
  3. Salisbury, MO 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Kirksville, MO 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Steffenville, MO 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: 39.7506, -92.5064.