U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00448829 · Virginia

Frost Dates for Walkerton, VA

NOAA weather station Walkerton 2 NW (USC00448829), Virginia · elevation 50 ft (15 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 23only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season209 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Walkerton, VASpring: a frost after March 24 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 18 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 14 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 209 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Nov 1Frost season at Walkerton, VASpring: a frost after March 24 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 18 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 14 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 209 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Nov 1
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 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 23October 18
50% (typical)April 7November 1
90% (likely)March 24November 14
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
209 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 27
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 11

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 3 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 5 (4 days later). Frost-free season 217 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 Walkerton: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 23, 20% April 18, 30% April 14, 40% April 10, 50% April 7, 60% April 3, 70% March 31, 80% March 29, 90% March 24. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 3, 2022 April 20, 2023 April 10, 2024 March 26, 2025 April 9.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 23Apr 7Mar 242021: April 32022: April 202023: April 102024: March 262025: April 9Fall at Walkerton: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 18, 20% October 24, 30% October 26, 40% October 30, 50% November 1, 60% November 3, 70% November 5, 80% November 9, 90% November 14. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 November 12, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 21, 2025 November 7.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 18Nov 1Nov 142021: November 142022: November 122023: November 22024: November 212025: 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 3November 14
2022April 20November 12
2023April 10November 2
2024March 26November 21
2025April 9November 7
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

The 209 days between the 32°F 50% dates of April 7 and November 1 define the central window in Walkerton when light frosts are equally likely to have occurred or not. For a gardener this median line shows that on April 7 there is a 50% chance of a frost later, and on November 1 there is a 50% chance of a frost earlier, marking the core of the frost-free season. The hard-frost median dates fall on March 27 in spring and November 11 in fall, signalling when 28°F events become equally probable.

A cautious spring plan would wait until April 23, the 10%-chance date, before setting out tender crops, while a cautious fall plan would finish harvesting tender crops by October 18, also a 10%-chance date. Planting on March 24 carries a 90% chance of a frost later, and staying in the field until November 14 carries a 90% chance of a frost earlier, both representing gambles. Because a hard frost reaches 28°F, it can injure plants that survive a light frost at 32°F, making the hard-frost dates especially important for risk assessment.

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 18" 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 Walkerton, VANumbered nearest stations: 1 — West Point, VA — 18 mi; 2 — Warsaw, VA — 22 mi; 3 — Richmond, VA — 23 mi; 4 — Ashland, VA — 24 mi; 5 — Hopewell, VA — 33 mi.VAMD25 mi · 40 km1. West Point, VA — 18 mi12. Warsaw, VA — 22 mi23. Richmond, VA — 23 mi34. Ashland, VA — 24 mi45. Hopewell, VA — 33 mi5
  1. West Point, VA 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Warsaw, VA 22 mi (36 km)
  3. Richmond, VA 23 mi (36 km)
  4. Ashland, VA 24 mi (39 km)
  5. Hopewell, VA 33 mi (54 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: 37.7433, -77.04.