NOAA station USC00406162 · Tennessee
Frost Dates for Monteagle, TN
NOAA weather station Monteagle (USC00406162), Tennessee · elevation 1850 ft (564 m) · hardiness zone 7b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 27only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostApril 1050% 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 zone7bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 27 | October 15 |
| 50% (typical) | April 10 | October 28 |
| 90% (likely) | March 26 | November 12 |
- 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 7
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost April 9 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 30 (2 days later). 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | April 22 | November 6 |
| 2022 | April 19 | October 18 |
| 2023 | March 29 | November 1 |
| 2024 | April 6 | October 17 |
| 2025 | April 13 | November 10 |
| 2026 | March 28 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
The 201 days between the 32°F 50% dates in Monteagle define the period in which a light frost is equally likely to have occurred or not. The median 32°F dates are April 10 in spring and October 28 in fall; they are not frost dates but simply the points of even odds for a light frost. For a cautious spring plan, the 10 % chance date is April 27, while the risky early option is March 26 with a 90 % chance. In the autumn, the cautious date is October 15, also at 10 % chance, and the gamble lies at November 12 with a 90 % chance.
The hard-frost 50% dates are March 29 and November 7, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F, so it carries greater risk.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after April 27" 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 15" 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
- Tullahoma, TN 22 mi (36 km)
- McMinnville, TN 31 mi (50 km)
- near Chattanooga, TN 39 mi (62 km)
- Chickamauga, GA 39 mi (63 km)
- Scottsboro, AL 40 mi (64 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00406162
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00406162
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 35.2242, -85.8414.