U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014765 · Rhode Island

Frost Dates near Providence, RI

NOAA weather station Providence T F Green Airport (USW00014765), Rhode Island · elevation 60 ft (18 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Providence is the nearest town to the station (7.1 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 April 23only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 3050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season199 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Providence, RISpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 30Frost season near Providence, RISpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 30
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)April 23October 16
50% (typical)April 11October 30
90% (likely)April 1November 12
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
199 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 1
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 9

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 11 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 30. Frost-free season 201 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 Providence: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 23, 20% April 19, 30% April 17, 40% April 14, 50% April 11, 60% April 9, 70% April 7, 80% April 4, 90% April 1. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 4, 2022 March 30, 2023 April 10, 2024 April 8, 2025 April 10, 2026 April 10.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 23Apr 11Apr 12021: April 42022: March 302023: April 102024: April 82025: April 102026: April 10Fall near Providence: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 16, 20% October 20, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 30, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 6, 90% November 12. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 30, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 29, 2025 November 7.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 16Oct 30Nov 122021: November 42022: October 302023: November 22024: October 292025: November 7
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 4November 4
2022March 30October 30
2023April 10November 2
2024April 8October 29
2025April 10November 7
2026April 10season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date in the Providence area for finishing the harvest is October 16, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived.

In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 23, which carries a 10 % chance of a frost later. The 50% date is April 11, providing an even-odds reference. The opposite-risk date, April 1, carries a 90 % chance and is a gamble. For fall, the cautious date is October 16, while the 50% date is October 30. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 1 in spring and November 9 in fall.

Hard frosts at 28 °F can injure plants that survive a 32 °F light frost, so the 50% hard-frost dates of April 1 and November 9 are especially important for planning.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 23" 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 16" 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 Providence, RINumbered nearest stations: 1 — Kingston, RI — 17 mi; 2 — North Foster, RI — 18 mi; 3 — Rochester, MA — 27 mi; 4 — near Norwich, CT — 35 mi; 5 — Blue Hill Coop, MA — 38 mi.MACT25 mi · 40 km1. Kingston, RI — 17 mi12. North Foster, RI — 18 mi23. Rochester, MA — 27 mi34. near Norwich, CT — 35 mi45. Blue Hill Coop, MA — 38 mi5
  1. Kingston, RI 17 mi (27 km)
  2. North Foster, RI 18 mi (29 km)
  3. Rochester, MA 27 mi (43 km)
  4. near Norwich, CT 35 mi (57 km)
  5. Blue Hill Coop, MA 38 mi (61 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: 41.7219, -71.4325.