U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013736 · West Virginia

Frost Dates near Morgantown, WV

NOAA weather station Morgantown Hart Field (USW00013736), West Virginia · elevation 1240 ft (378 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Morgantown is the nearest town to the station (2.3 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 14only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season182 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Morgantown, WVSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 182 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 24Frost season near Morgantown, WVSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 182 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 24
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 14October 11
50% (typical)April 23October 24
90% (likely)April 7November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
182 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 10
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 19 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 28 (4 days later). Frost-free season 188 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 Morgantown: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 14, 20% May 6, 30% May 1, 40% April 27, 50% April 23, 60% April 20, 70% April 17, 80% April 13, 90% April 7. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 12, 2022 April 29, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 17, 2026 April 21.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 14Apr 23Apr 72021: May 122022: April 292023: April 252024: April 222025: April 172026: April 21Fall near Morgantown: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 15, 30% October 18, 40% October 21, 50% October 24, 60% October 27, 70% October 29, 80% November 1, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 21, 2023 October 23, 2024 November 13, 2025 October 26.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 24Nov 52021: November 22022: October 212023: October 232024: November 132025: October 26
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 12November 2
2022April 29October 21
2023April 25October 23
2024April 22November 13
2025April 17October 26
2026April 21season not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on April 7 in the Morgantown area carries a 90 % chance of a frost later in spring, making it a gamble for any gardener. The cautious spring date is May 14, when only a 10 % chance of a later frost remains, giving the lowest risk for setting out tender varieties.

The 50 % date in spring is April 23, meaning an even chance of a frost occurring after that point, while the 50 % date in fall is October 24, indicating an even chance of a frost occurring before then. For a cautious fall plan, October 11 is used, with only a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier. Hard frost, which reaches 28 °F, can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F. This information lets a gardener gauge when to begin and finish tender-crop production with the appropriate level of risk.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 14" 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 11" 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 Morgantown, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Fairmont, WV — 17 mi; 2 — Uniontown, PA — 22 mi; 3 — Waynesburg, PA — 22 mi; 4 — Oakland, MD — 32 mi; 5 — Parsons, WV — 42 mi.WVPAOHVAMD25 mi · 40 km1. Fairmont, WV — 17 mi12. Uniontown, PA — 22 mi23. Waynesburg, PA — 22 mi34. Oakland, MD — 32 mi45. Parsons, WV — 42 mi5
  1. Fairmont, WV 17 mi (28 km)
  2. Uniontown, PA 22 mi (35 km)
  3. Waynesburg, PA 22 mi (36 km)
  4. Oakland, MD 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Parsons, WV 42 mi (68 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: 39.6428, -79.9164.