U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00094728 · New York

Frost Dates for New York (Central Park), NY

NOAA weather station New York Central Park Tower (USW00094728), New York · elevation 130 ft (40 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 9only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season236 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at New York (Central Park), NYSpring: a frost after March 14 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 6 in 1 year out of 10, before November 20 in half of the years, before December 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 236 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 20Frost season at New York (Central Park), NYSpring: a frost after March 14 in 9 years out of 10, after March 30 in half of the years, after April 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 6 in 1 year out of 10, before November 20 in half of the years, before December 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 236 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 30First frost ~Nov 20
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 9November 6
50% (typical)March 30November 20
90% (likely)March 14December 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
236 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 19
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 30 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 19 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 236 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 at New York (Central Park): chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 9, 20% April 5, 30% April 3, 40% April 1, 50% March 30, 60% March 27, 70% March 23, 80% March 19, 90% March 14. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 3, 2022 March 30, 2023 March 30, 2024 March 24, 2025 April 9, 2026 April 8.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 9Mar 30Mar 142021: April 32022: March 302023: March 302024: March 242025: April 92026: April 8Fall at New York (Central Park): chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 6, 20% November 10, 30% November 14, 40% November 17, 50% November 20, 60% November 23, 70% November 27, 80% December 1, 90% December 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 23, 2022 November 19, 2023 November 25, 2024 November 30, 2025 November 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 6Nov 20Dec 62021: November 232022: November 192023: November 252024: November 302025: November 29
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 3November 23
2022March 30November 19
2023March 30November 25
2024March 24November 30
2025April 9November 29
2026April 8season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 9 is the cautious spring date, allowing a gardener to set out tender crops with only a ten-percent chance of a later light frost. The 90-percent chance date, March 14, would be a gamble, while the 50 % date is March 30, marking the median point of even odds for a light frost in spring.

The cautious fall date is November 6, giving a gardener a ten-percent chance that a light frost will have arrived earlier, whereas the 90-percent chance date, December 6, would be a gamble. The 50 % date is November 20, the median point for light frost in fall.

The 50 % hard-frost dates are March 19 in spring and December 1 in fall; these are not frost dates but indicate when a hard frost is equally likely to occur earlier or later. For a gardener, the 50 % dates signal the point at which frost risk is equally balanced, helping to gauge the level of uncertainty. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a 32 °F light frost, making it a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 9" 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 November 6" 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 York (Central Park), NYNumbered nearest stations: 1 — New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY — 5 mi; 2 — Newark, NJ — 12 mi; 3 — New York (JFK Airport), NY — 15 mi; 4 — near Purchase, NY — 24 mi; 5 — New Brunswick, NJ — 32 mi.PACT25 mi · 40 km1. New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY — 5 mi12. Newark, NJ — 12 mi23. New York (JFK Airport), NY — 15 mi34. near Purchase, NY — 24 mi45. New Brunswick, NJ — 32 mi5
  1. New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY 5 mi (7 km)
  2. Newark, NJ 12 mi (20 km)
  3. New York (JFK Airport), NY 15 mi (23 km)
  4. near Purchase, NY 24 mi (39 km)
  5. New Brunswick, NJ 32 mi (51 km)

Sources

* 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: 40.7789, -73.9692.