U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00337935 · Ohio

Frost Dates for Springfield, OH

NOAA weather station Springfield WTP (USC00337935), Ohio · elevation 951 ft (290 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season175 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Springfield, OHSpring: a frost after April 12 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 4 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 19Frost season at Springfield, OHSpring: a frost after April 12 in 9 years out of 10, after April 25 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 4 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 25First frost ~Oct 19
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 12October 4
50% (typical)April 25October 19
90% (likely)April 12November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
175 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 15
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 30

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 26 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (3 days later). Frost-free season 179 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 Springfield: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 6, 30% May 2, 40% April 29, 50% April 25, 60% April 23, 70% April 20, 80% April 17, 90% April 12. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 10, 2022 April 28, 2023 April 26, 2024 April 23, 2025 April 17, 2026 April 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 12Apr 25Apr 122021: May 102022: April 282023: April 262024: April 232025: April 172026: April 19Fall at Springfield: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 4, 20% October 9, 30% October 13, 40% October 16, 50% October 19, 60% October 21, 70% October 24, 80% October 27, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 17.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 4Oct 19Nov 12021: October 272022: October 82023: October 242024: October 17
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
2021May 10October 27
2022April 28October 8
2023April 26October 24
2024April 23October 17
2025April 17incomplete record
2026April 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 12 marks the cautious spring date, when there is only a 10 % chance of a light frost later and a gardener can plan to set out tender crops with confidence. The parallel cautious fall date is October 4, when the chance of a light frost earlier drops to 10 %, signaling a safe window to finish harvesting tender crops.

The 50 % dates are April 25 for spring and October 19 for fall; each represents a 50 % chance of a light frost later than the spring date or earlier than the fall date. The median hard-frost dates are April 15 in spring and October 30 in fall, reminding that temperatures of 28 °F can cause far greater injury than the 32 °F light frost. Hard frost can kill or damage plants that would otherwise survive a light frost, making it a more critical threshold for garden planning in Springfield.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 12" 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 4" 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 Springfield, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Urbana, OH — 9 mi; 2 — Dayton, OH — 22 mi; 3 — Dayton MCD, OH — 25 mi; 4 — Xenia, OH — 26 mi; 5 — Bellefontaine, OH — 26 mi.OHIN25 mi · 40 km1. Urbana, OH — 9 mi12. Dayton, OH — 22 mi23. Dayton MCD, OH — 25 mi34. Xenia, OH — 26 mi45. Bellefontaine, OH — 26 mi5
  1. Urbana, OH 9 mi (14 km)
  2. Dayton, OH 22 mi (36 km)
  3. Dayton MCD, OH 25 mi (40 km)
  4. Xenia, OH 26 mi (42 km)
  5. Bellefontaine, OH 26 mi (42 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 39.9736, -83.8072.