U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00305426 · New York

Frost Dates near New Paltz, NY

NOAA weather station Mohonk Lake (USC00305426), New York · elevation 1245 ft (380 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

New Paltz is the nearest town to the station (3.8 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 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season188 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near New Paltz, NYSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 21 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 21First frost ~Oct 27Frost season near New Paltz, NYSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 21 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 12 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 21First frost ~Oct 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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 5October 12
50% (typical)April 21October 27
90% (likely)April 6November 9
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
188 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 8
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 22 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 29 (2 days later). Frost-free season 189 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 New Paltz: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 5, 20% April 30, 30% April 27, 40% April 24, 50% April 21, 60% April 18, 70% April 15, 80% April 12, 90% April 6. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 5Apr 21Apr 62021: April 23Fall near New Paltz: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 12, 20% October 17, 30% October 22, 40% October 25, 50% October 27, 60% October 30, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 9. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 12Oct 27Nov 92021: November 4
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 4
2022incomplete recordno data
2023no dataincomplete record
2024incomplete recordincomplete record
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the New Paltz area is October 12, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived. Gardeners who follow a cautious plan will aim to have tender crops harvested by that date, just as they would wait until the cautious spring date of May 5, which carries a 10 % chance of a frost later in the season.

The 50 % dates—April 21 in spring and October 27 in fall—mark the median point at which a light frost is equally likely to have happened or not; they define the middle of the frost-free window for planning. The hard-frost 50 % dates are April 8 and November 6, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue more severely than the milder 32 °F light frost, making it a greater risk to tender crops.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 5" 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 12" 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 New Paltz, NYNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Cairo, NY — 32 mi; 2 — Port Jervis, NY — 38 mi; 3 — Yorktown Heights, NY — 39 mi; 4 — Lansing Manor, NY — 50 mi; 5 — near Ravena, NY — 50 mi.NYPACTMA25 mi · 40 km1. near Cairo, NY — 32 mi12. Port Jervis, NY — 38 mi23. Yorktown Heights, NY — 39 mi34. Lansing Manor, NY — 50 mi45. near Ravena, NY — 50 mi5
  1. near Cairo, NY 32 mi (52 km)
  2. Port Jervis, NY 38 mi (61 km)
  3. Yorktown Heights, NY 39 mi (63 km)
  4. Lansing Manor, NY 50 mi (80 km)
  5. near Ravena, NY 50 mi (80 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.7681, -74.155.