First frost date for your town
When the first freeze of fall usually comes at the weather station nearest you, from 30 years of NOAA records. Type a town and state or a postal code.
- Early year (1 in 10)
- Oct 14
- Late year (1 in 10)
- Nov 7
- Last spring frost
- Apr 18
- Frost-free season
- 191 days
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 · station Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport, OH, 6 mi away, 810 ft
What the three dates mean
NOAA looked at every fall from 1991 to 2020 and found the date of the first night at 32 °F or colder. For Columbus, OH the middle of those dates is Oct 27. In one fall out of ten the first frost came as early as Oct 14, and in one out of ten it held off until Nov 7.
Count back from the early date to plan a fall crop: a crop that needs 60 days must be in the ground at least 60 days before it, plus a week or two because growth slows as days get shorter. The time between the spring and fall averages is your frost-free season, 191 days in Columbus, OH.
First frost dates in 50 big cities
| City | Early year | Average | Late year | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | Nov 6 | Nov 20 | Dec 6 | 236 d |
| Chicago, IL | Oct 20 | Oct 31 | Nov 14 | 201 d |
| Houston, TX | Nov 27 | Dec 28 | Jan 27 | 330 d |
| Phoenix, AZ | Dec 5 | Dec 25 | Jan 23 | 354 d |
| Philadelphia, PA | Oct 24 | Nov 7 | Nov 22 | 216 d |
| San Antonio, TX | Nov 7 | Nov 28 | Dec 22 | 277 d |
| Dallas, TX | Nov 10 | Nov 29 | Dec 18 | 272 d |
| Jacksonville, FL | Dec 3 | Jan 5 | Feb 6 | 330 d |
| Fort Worth, TX | Nov 3 | Nov 24 | Dec 14 | 264 d |
| San Jose, CA | Dec 1 | Dec 22 | Jan 20 | 347 d |
| Austin, TX | Nov 15 | Dec 3 | Jan 1 | 291 d |
| Charlotte, NC | Oct 22 | Nov 3 | Nov 17 | 221 d |
| Columbus, OH | Oct 14 | Oct 27 | Nov 7 | 191 d |
| Indianapolis, IN | Oct 13 | Oct 26 | Nov 7 | 193 d |
| Seattle, WA | Nov 4 | Nov 23 | Dec 16 | 259 d |
| Denver, CO | Sep 25 | Oct 8 | Oct 20 | 156 d |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Oct 21 | Nov 2 | Nov 17 | 213 d |
| Nashville, TN | Oct 22 | Nov 3 | Nov 18 | 217 d |
| Washington, DC | Nov 5 | Nov 18 | Dec 6 | 241 d |
| El Paso, TX | Nov 6 | Nov 20 | Dec 2 | 261 d |
| Las Vegas, NV | Nov 24 | Dec 10 | Dec 29 | 323 d |
| Boston, MA | Oct 29 | Nov 9 | Nov 22 | 218 d |
| Detroit, MI | Oct 17 | Oct 31 | Nov 11 | 190 d |
| Louisville, KY | Oct 21 | Nov 3 | Nov 16 | 214 d |
| Portland, OR | Oct 29 | Nov 19 | Dec 10 | 247 d |
| Memphis, TN | Nov 2 | Nov 16 | Dec 3 | 244 d |
| Baltimore, MD | Nov 7 | Nov 21 | Dec 8 | 244 d |
| Milwaukee, WI | Oct 15 | Oct 29 | Nov 10 | 192 d |
| Albuquerque, NM | Oct 21 | Nov 3 | Nov 16 | 208 d |
| Tucson, AZ | Nov 21 | Dec 9 | Jan 3 | 307 d |
| Fresno, CA | Nov 29 | Dec 14 | Jan 12 | 337 d |
| Sacramento, CA | Nov 28 | Dec 16 | Jan 14 | 341 d |
| Atlanta, GA | Oct 27 | Nov 8 | Nov 26 | 231 d |
| Mesa, AZ | Nov 22 | Dec 10 | Jan 1 | 312 d |
| Kansas City, MO | Oct 21 | Nov 2 | Nov 16 | 211 d |
| Raleigh, NC | Oct 23 | Nov 4 | Nov 17 | 219 d |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Sep 26 | Oct 8 | Oct 19 | 158 d |
| Omaha, NE | Oct 2 | Oct 18 | Oct 29 | 183 d |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Nov 1 | Nov 12 | Nov 30 | 230 d |
| Oakland, CA | Nov 30 | Dec 23 | Jan 24 | 356 d |
| Minneapolis, MN | Oct 1 | Oct 18 | Oct 31 | 176 d |
| Bakersfield, CA | Nov 30 | Dec 15 | Jan 12 | 334 d |
| Tulsa, OK | Oct 20 | Nov 4 | Nov 19 | 220 d |
| Arlington, TX | Nov 3 | Nov 21 | Dec 7 | 256 d |
| Aurora, CO | Sep 25 | Oct 8 | Oct 20 | 156 d |
| Wichita, KS | Oct 15 | Oct 29 | Nov 10 | 199 d |
| Cleveland, OH | Nov 1 | Nov 12 | Nov 28 | 217 d |
| New Orleans, LA | Dec 13 | Jan 5 | Feb 1 | 348 d |
| Henderson, NV | Nov 28 | Dec 15 | Jan 7 | 333 d |
| Orlando, FL | Dec 18 | Jan 10 | Feb 10 | 355 d |
Early and late year: the dates with 1-in-10 odds. Season: days between the average last and first frost. NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest station to each city.
Questions
When should I bring tender plants in?
Before the 1-in-10 early date, if you want to be safe in nine years out of ten. Basil and peppers suffer on nights in the upper 30s, before any frost.
Does one frost end the garden?
No. Tomatoes, beans and squash die back, but kale, cabbage, spinach, carrots and many herbs take light frosts and often taste sweeter after them. A hard freeze at 28 °F ends most of the season.
Why is my first frost in January?
In the warmest parts of the country, a 32 °F night comes so late that the average date falls after New Year, or it does not come in most years at all. We show how often frost happens at those stations.
How long is my growing season?
The days between the average last spring frost and the average first fall frost, shown in the packet for your town.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals by station (freeze probabilities at 32 °F and 28 °F). Town points: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer 2024. How we match towns to stations.
Frost dates are probabilities from past records, not a forecast. A frost can still come after the average date, and local terrain can shift it by weeks.