U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014732 · New York

Frost Dates for New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY

NOAA weather station New York LaGuardia Airport (USW00014732), New York · elevation 11 ft (3 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 2650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season244 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at New York (LaGuardia Airport), NYSpring: a frost after March 12 in 9 years out of 10, after March 26 in half of the years, after April 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 10 in 1 year out of 10, before November 25 in half of the years, before December 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 244 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 26First frost ~Nov 25Frost season at New York (LaGuardia Airport), NYSpring: a frost after March 12 in 9 years out of 10, after March 26 in half of the years, after April 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 10 in 1 year out of 10, before November 25 in half of the years, before December 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 244 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 26First frost ~Nov 25
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 6November 10
50% (typical)March 26November 25
90% (likely)March 12December 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
244 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 15
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 26 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 24 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 245 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 (LaGuardia Airport): chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 6, 20% April 3, 30% April 1, 40% March 29, 50% March 26, 60% March 23, 70% March 20, 80% March 17, 90% March 12. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 2, 2022 March 30, 2023 March 30, 2024 March 24, 2025 March 23, 2026 April 8.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 6Mar 26Mar 122021: April 22022: March 302023: March 302024: March 242025: March 232026: April 8Fall at New York (LaGuardia Airport): chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 10, 20% November 14, 30% November 17, 40% November 21, 50% November 25, 60% November 28, 70% December 1, 80% December 4, 90% December 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 December 19, 2022 November 19, 2023 November 25, 2024 November 30, 2025 December 4.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 10Nov 25Dec 102021: December 192022: November 192023: November 252024: November 302025: December 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 2December 19
2022March 30November 19
2023March 30November 25
2024March 24November 30
2025March 23December 4
2026April 8season not over yet

What these dates mean

November 10 marks the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest of tender crops in New York (LaGuardia Airport), because there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived before that day.

Gardeners who follow a cautious plan would wait until April 6 to set out tender crops in spring, since the chance of a light frost later than that date is only 10 % for the cautious spring date. The 50 % dates—March 26 in spring and November 25 in fall—represent the median point at which a light frost is equally likely to have occurred or not yet occurred. The median hard-frost dates are March 15 and December 5; hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, making those dates especially significant.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 6" 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 10" 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 (LaGuardia Airport), NYNumbered nearest stations: 1 — New York (Central Park), NY — 5 mi; 2 — New York (JFK Airport), NY — 12 mi; 3 — Newark, NJ — 17 mi; 4 — near Purchase, NY — 22 mi; 5 — Yorktown Heights, NY — 34 mi.PACT25 mi · 40 km1. New York (Central Park), NY — 5 mi12. New York (JFK Airport), NY — 12 mi23. Newark, NJ — 17 mi34. near Purchase, NY — 22 mi45. Yorktown Heights, NY — 34 mi5
  1. New York (Central Park), NY 5 mi (7 km)
  2. New York (JFK Airport), NY 12 mi (19 km)
  3. Newark, NJ 17 mi (27 km)
  4. near Purchase, NY 22 mi (35 km)
  5. Yorktown Heights, NY 34 mi (55 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: 40.7794, -73.8803.