U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00300063 · New York

Frost Dates near Ravena, NY

NOAA weather station Alcove Dam (USC00300063), New York · elevation 607 ft (185 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Ravena is the nearest town to the station (5.7 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 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season160 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Ravena, NYSpring: a frost after April 20 in 9 years out of 10, after May 3 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 160 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 3First frost ~Oct 12Frost season near Ravena, NYSpring: a frost after April 20 in 9 years out of 10, after May 3 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 160 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 3First frost ~Oct 12
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 18October 1
50% (typical)May 3October 12
90% (likely)April 20October 27
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
160 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 21
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 1 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 19 (7 days later). Frost-free season 170 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 Ravena: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 18, 20% May 13, 30% May 9, 40% May 6, 50% May 3, 60% April 30, 70% April 28, 80% April 24, 90% April 20. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 May 10, 2023 May 18, 2024 April 26, 2025 April 22, 2026 April 25.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 18May 3Apr 202021: April 232022: May 102023: May 182024: April 262025: April 222026: April 25Fall near Ravena: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 3, 30% October 6, 40% October 9, 50% October 12, 60% October 15, 70% October 18, 80% October 22, 90% October 27. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 15.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 12Oct 272021: November 32022: October 92023: October 312024: October 15
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 3
2022May 10October 9
2023May 18October 31
2024April 26October 15
2025April 22incomplete record
2026April 25season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 160 days between the 32°F 50% dates in the Ravena area define the window for tender-crop production. The 50% date in spring is May 3 and the 50% date in fall is October 12; each marks the point at which a light frost has a 50 % chance of occurring.

For a cautious approach, gardeners would use the spring LATE date of May 18 (10 % chance of a frost later) to set out tender crops, while the fall EARLY date of October 1 (10 % chance of a frost earlier) guides the final harvest of such crops. Planting on April 20 or harvesting on October 27 would be a gamble because those dates carry a 90 % chance of frost.

The 50% hard-frost dates are April 21 and October 25, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that might survive a 32 °F light frost, so it represents a greater threat.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 18" 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 1" 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 Ravena, NYNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Cairo, NY — 20 mi; 2 — Albany, NY — 20 mi; 3 — near Troy, NY — 23 mi; 4 — Lansing Manor, NY — 27 mi; 5 — Cobleskill, NY — 30 mi.MAVTCT25 mi · 40 km1. near Cairo, NY — 20 mi12. Albany, NY — 20 mi23. near Troy, NY — 23 mi34. Lansing Manor, NY — 27 mi45. Cobleskill, NY — 30 mi5
  1. near Cairo, NY 20 mi (32 km)
  2. Albany, NY 20 mi (32 km)
  3. near Troy, NY 23 mi (37 km)
  4. Lansing Manor, NY 27 mi (44 km)
  5. Cobleskill, NY 30 mi (48 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 42.4697, -73.9267.