U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013734 · West Virginia

Frost Dates near Martinsburg, WV

NOAA weather station Martinsburg E WV Regional Airport (USW00013734), West Virginia · elevation 534 ft (163 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Martinsburg is the nearest town to the station (3.9 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 May 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season183 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Martinsburg, WVSpring: a frost after April 3 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 12 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 4 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 183 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 20First frost ~Oct 22Frost season near Martinsburg, WVSpring: a frost after April 3 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 12 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 4 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 183 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 20First 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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 12October 7
50% (typical)April 20October 22
90% (likely)April 3November 4
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
183 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 4
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 14 (6 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 25 (3 days later). Frost-free season 191 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 Martinsburg: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 4, 30% April 30, 40% April 24, 50% April 20, 60% April 17, 70% April 13, 80% April 9, 90% April 3. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 29, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 23, 2025 April 17, 2026 April 21.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 12Apr 20Apr 32021: April 232022: April 292023: April 252024: April 232025: April 172026: April 21Fall near Martinsburg: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 7, 20% October 11, 30% October 15, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 25, 70% October 28, 80% October 31, 90% November 4. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 18, 2025 October 17.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 7Oct 22Nov 42021: November 22022: October 182023: October 242024: October 182025: October 17
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 23November 2
2022April 29October 18
2023April 25October 24
2024April 23October 18
2025April 17October 17
2026April 21season not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on April 3 in the Martinsburg area is a gamble, because there is a 90 % chance that a light frost will occur later that spring. By contrast, May 12 carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost and is the cautious date for setting out those crops.

The 50 % dates provide a reference when the likelihood of a light frost is even. The median date for a 50 % chance of a light frost in spring is April 20, and in fall it is October 22. When hard frosts (28 °F) are considered, the 50 % dates are April 4 for spring and November 1 for fall, marking the points at which a hard freeze is equally likely to have happened.

For a low-risk plan, gardeners should aim to finish tender-crop harvests by October 7, which has only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. A hard frost can damage plants more severely than a light frost because the lower temperature can freeze tissues that survive 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 12" 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 Martinsburg, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Winchester, VA — 17 mi; 2 — Front Royal, VA — 36 mi; 3 — near Loudoun Valley Estates, VA — 40 mi; 4 — Chambersburg, PA — 41 mi; 5 — Emmitsburg, MD — 42 mi.MDWV25 mi · 40 km1. Winchester, VA — 17 mi12. Front Royal, VA — 36 mi23. near Loudoun Valley Estates, VA — 40 mi34. Chambersburg, PA — 41 mi45. Emmitsburg, MD — 42 mi5
  1. Winchester, VA 17 mi (28 km)
  2. Front Royal, VA 36 mi (58 km)
  3. near Loudoun Valley Estates, VA 40 mi (64 km)
  4. Chambersburg, PA 41 mi (66 km)
  5. Emmitsburg, MD 42 mi (67 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 39.4019, -77.9844.