U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003804 · West Virginia

Frost Dates near Williamstown, WV

NOAA weather station Parkersburg Wood County Airport (USW00003804), West Virginia · elevation 831 ft (253 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Williamstown is the nearest town to the station (3.9 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 11only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season180 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Williamstown, WVSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 8 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 180 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 22Frost season near Williamstown, WVSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 11 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 8 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 180 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 22
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 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 11October 8
50% (typical)April 23October 22
90% (likely)April 7November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
180 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 9
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 22 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 25 (3 days later). Frost-free season 183 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 Williamstown: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 11, 20% May 5, 30% April 29, 40% April 25, 50% April 23, 60% April 20, 70% April 16, 80% April 12, 90% April 7. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 1, 2022 April 28, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 11Apr 23Apr 72021: May 12022: April 282023: April 252024: April 222025: April 172026: May 3Fall near Williamstown: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 8, 20% October 13, 30% October 16, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 24, 70% October 27, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 23, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 8Oct 22Nov 32021: November 22022: October 92023: October 232024: October 162025: 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 1November 2
2022April 28October 9
2023April 25October 23
2024April 22October 16
2025April 17October 24
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 8 is the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest of tender crops in the Williamstown area, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is May 11, when the chance of a light frost later than that day is also 10%.

The 50% dates give the gardener a midpoint of risk: April 23 is the 50% date in spring, indicating a 50% chance of a light frost later than this date, and October 22 is the 50% date in fall, indicating a 50% chance of a light frost earlier than this date. Hard frost, defined at 28 °F, is more damaging than a light frost at 32 °F; its 50% dates are April 9 in spring and November 1 in fall, marking when a serious freeze becomes as likely as not.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 11" 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 8" 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 Williamstown, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Marietta, OH — 4 mi; 2 — Parkersburg, WV — 8 mi; 3 — Middlebourne, WV — 32 mi; 4 — West Union, WV — 36 mi; 5 — Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH — 38 mi.OHPA25 mi · 40 km1. Marietta, OH — 4 mi12. Parkersburg, WV — 8 mi23. Middlebourne, WV — 32 mi34. West Union, WV — 36 mi45. Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH — 38 mi5
  1. Marietta, OH 4 mi (7 km)
  2. Parkersburg, WV 8 mi (12 km)
  3. Middlebourne, WV 32 mi (52 km)
  4. West Union, WV 36 mi (58 km)
  5. Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH 38 mi (61 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 39.345, -81.4392.