NOAA station USC00489770 · Wyoming
Frost Dates for Worland (USC00489770), WY
NOAA weather station Worland (USC00489770), Wyoming · elevation 4058 ft (1237 m) · hardiness zone 4b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter May 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMay 450% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostOctober 150% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season149 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone4bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | May 18 | September 21 |
| 50% (typical) | May 4 | October 1 |
| 90% (likely) | April 23 | October 15 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 149 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- April 24
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- October 13
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost May 3 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 4 (3 days later). Frost-free season 152 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | May 10 | September 30 |
| 2022 | May 23 | October 15 |
| 2023 | April 29 | October 26 |
| 2024 | May 4 | October 2 |
| 2025 | April 24 | October 8 |
| 2026 | May 20 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
May 18 is the cautious spring light-frost date, with only a 10 % chance of a frost later than that day, and it lets a gardener plan the first planting of tender crops. The 50 % light-frost date is May 4; at that point there is an even chance of a frost occurring later in the season, though the day itself is not a frost date. The median hard-frost date for spring is April 24, marking the point at which a 28 °F freeze becomes a 50 % likelihood.
September 21 is the cautious fall light-frost date, carrying a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier, and it indicates the latest time to finish harvesting tender crops. The 50 % light-frost date for fall is October 1, and the median hard-frost date for fall is October 13. A hard frost at 28 °F matters more than a light frost because the lower temperature can damage plants that would otherwise survive a 32 °F event.
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 September 21" 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
- Worland (USW00024062), WY 3 mi (5 km)
- Basin, WY 26 mi (41 km)
- Thermopolis, WY 28 mi (45 km)
- Tensleep 4 NE, WY 29 mi (47 km)
- Tensleep 16 SSE, WY 33 mi (53 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00489770
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00489770
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 4b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 44.0114, -107.9683.