Reference

Frost dates

Last spring frost and first fall frost dates determine the practical edges of your growing season. Enter your zip for the nearest weather station's averages, or browse by USDA zone.

By zone

Representative dates per zone. Real frost dates vary 2-6 weeks across a single zone depending on elevation, proximity to water, and microclimate. Use a zip-specific lookup for tighter timing.

Avg last spring frost	Avg first fall frost	Season length	Sample location
05/10	09/30	143 days	Fargo, ND 1 station aggregated
04/30	10/08	153 days	Young America, MN 3 stations aggregated
04/29	10/05	160 days	Sioux City, IA 9 stations aggregated
04/25	10/19	159 days	Elgin, IL 10 stations aggregated
04/28	10/19	172 days	Kenosha, WI 32 stations aggregated
04/20	10/27	185 days	Dearborn, MI 35 stations aggregated
04/13	10/28	195 days	Lexington, KY 31 stations aggregated
04/03	11/04	212 days	Richmond, VA 29 stations aggregated
03/24	11/08	231 days	Huntsville, AL 25 stations aggregated
03/13	11/19	245 days	Portland, OR 40 stations aggregated
03/03	12/02	278 days	Gainesville, FL 23 stations aggregated
02/01	01/05	323 days	Jacksonville, FL 39 stations aggregated
01/17	01/14	353 days	Clearwater, FL 30 stations aggregated
01/16	01/13	358 days	Fort Myers, FL 14 stations aggregated
12/31	12/30	365 days	Santa Monica, CA 4 stations aggregated
04/12	12/01	235 days	Honolulu, HI 1 station aggregated

How to read these dates

These are averages. In any given year, the actual last spring frost can fall 2-3 weeks earlier or later. For risk-tolerant planting, plant on the average. For frost-sensitive crops (tomatoes, basil, peppers), wait an extra 1-2 weeks to be confident the cold is past.