U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00338552 · Ohio

Frost Dates for Urbana, OH

NOAA weather station Urbana WWTP (USC00338552), Ohio · elevation 1019 ft (311 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 10only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season179 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Urbana, OHSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 24 in half of the years, after May 10 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 179 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 24First frost ~Oct 19Frost season at Urbana, OHSpring: a frost after April 10 in 9 years out of 10, after April 24 in half of the years, after May 10 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 2 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 179 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 24First 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.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 10October 7
50% (typical)April 24October 19
90% (likely)April 10November 2
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
179 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 12
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 25 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (3 days later). Frost-free season 180 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 Urbana: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 10, 20% May 4, 30% April 30, 40% April 27, 50% April 24, 60% April 21, 70% April 18, 80% April 15, 90% April 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 April 28, 2023 April 27, 2024 April 26, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 10Apr 24Apr 102021: May 132022: April 282023: April 272024: April 262025: April 172026: May 3Fall at Urbana: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 7, 20% October 11, 30% October 14, 40% October 17, 50% October 19, 60% October 22, 70% October 26, 80% October 29, 90% November 2. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 23, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 7Oct 19Nov 22021: October 272022: October 82023: October 232024: October 172025: October 24
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 13October 27
2022April 28October 8
2023April 27October 23
2024April 26October 17
2025April 17October 24
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for Urbana is October 7, the point at which there is only a ten-percent chance that a light frost has arrived, making it the recommended latest day to finish harvesting tender crops. Hard frost at 28 °F is more damaging than a light frost at 32 °F because the lower temperature can kill tissue that survives milder freezes.

The 50 % dates mark the median probability of frost. For light frost the 50 % date in spring is April 24 and in fall is October 19; each represents an even chance of frost occurring after (spring) or before (fall) the date. The hard-frost 50 % dates are April 12 in spring and November 1 in fall.

A cautious planting schedule uses the May 10 spring date, which carries a ten-percent chance of a frost later, and the October 7 fall date, which carries a ten-percent chance of a frost earlier, as the outer limits for tender crops.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 10" 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 7" 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 Urbana, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Springfield, OH — 9 mi; 2 — Bellefontaine, OH — 18 mi; 3 — Sidney, OH — 23 mi; 4 — Dayton, OH — 27 mi; 5 — Marysville, OH — 28 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Springfield, OH — 9 mi12. Bellefontaine, OH — 18 mi23. Sidney, OH — 23 mi34. Dayton, OH — 27 mi45. Marysville, OH — 28 mi5
  1. Springfield, OH 9 mi (14 km)
  2. Bellefontaine, OH 18 mi (28 km)
  3. Sidney, OH 23 mi (37 km)
  4. Dayton, OH 27 mi (43 km)
  5. Marysville, OH 28 mi (45 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: 40.0992, -83.7822.