Last frost date for your town
The day after which a frost is unlikely, at the weather station nearest you, from 30 years of NOAA records. Type a town and state or a postal code.
- Late year (1 in 10)
- May 5
- Early year (1 in 10)
- Apr 4
- First fall frost
- Oct 27
- 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 spring from 1991 to 2020 and found the date of the last night at 32 °F or colder. For Columbus, OH the middle of those dates is Apr 18: half of springs had their last frost before it and half after. In one spring out of ten the last frost came as late as May 5, and in one out of ten it was over by Apr 4.
That spread is the useful part. Cool-season crops such as peas, lettuce, spinach and onions go in two to six weeks before the average date because a light frost does not hurt them. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squash and beans wait until after the late date, when the soil has warmed as well. Use the seed starting calculator to count back for each crop.
Last frost dates in 50 big cities
| City | Early year | Average | Late year | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | Mar 14 | Mar 30 | Apr 9 | 236 d |
| Chicago, IL | Mar 30 | Apr 11 | Apr 27 | 201 d |
| Houston, TX | Dec 29 | Jan 30 | Mar 1 | 330 d |
| Phoenix, AZ | Dec 16 | Jan 8 | Feb 12 | 354 d |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 21 | Apr 4 | Apr 17 | 216 d |
| San Antonio, TX | Jan 29 | Feb 26 | Mar 17 | 277 d |
| Dallas, TX | Feb 10 | Mar 2 | Mar 19 | 272 d |
| Jacksonville, FL | Dec 31 | Feb 1 | Mar 3 | 330 d |
| Fort Worth, TX | Feb 16 | Mar 5 | Mar 25 | 264 d |
| San Jose, CA | Dec 20 | Jan 12 | Feb 14 | 347 d |
| Austin, TX | Jan 23 | Feb 20 | Mar 14 | 291 d |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 12 | Mar 30 | Apr 14 | 221 d |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 4 | Apr 18 | May 5 | 191 d |
| Indianapolis, IN | Apr 2 | Apr 15 | May 2 | 193 d |
| Seattle, WA | Feb 13 | Mar 8 | Mar 29 | 259 d |
| Denver, CO | Apr 20 | May 4 | May 16 | 156 d |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Mar 16 | Apr 4 | Apr 20 | 213 d |
| Nashville, TN | Mar 13 | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | 217 d |
| Washington, DC | Mar 7 | Mar 24 | Apr 6 | 241 d |
| El Paso, TX | Feb 12 | Mar 2 | Mar 19 | 261 d |
| Las Vegas, NV | Dec 27 | Jan 24 | Feb 19 | 323 d |
| Boston, MA | Mar 25 | Apr 4 | Apr 17 | 218 d |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 7 | Apr 21 | May 6 | 190 d |
| Louisville, KY | Mar 18 | Apr 3 | Apr 19 | 214 d |
| Portland, OR | Feb 22 | Mar 13 | Apr 1 | 247 d |
| Memphis, TN | Feb 27 | Mar 16 | Apr 4 | 244 d |
| Baltimore, MD | Mar 8 | Mar 24 | Apr 4 | 244 d |
| Milwaukee, WI | Apr 6 | Apr 19 | May 2 | 192 d |
| Albuquerque, NM | Mar 17 | Apr 6 | Apr 23 | 208 d |
| Tucson, AZ | Jan 4 | Feb 5 | Mar 2 | 307 d |
| Fresno, CA | Dec 22 | Jan 14 | Feb 11 | 337 d |
| Sacramento, CA | Dec 18 | Jan 12 | Feb 8 | 341 d |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 2 | Mar 24 | Apr 10 | 231 d |
| Mesa, AZ | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 | 312 d |
| Kansas City, MO | Mar 17 | Apr 4 | Apr 20 | 211 d |
| Raleigh, NC | Mar 15 | Mar 31 | Apr 16 | 219 d |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Apr 22 | May 3 | May 15 | 158 d |
| Omaha, NE | Apr 2 | Apr 16 | May 6 | 183 d |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Mar 13 | Mar 29 | Apr 11 | 230 d |
| Oakland, CA | Dec 13 | Jan 7 | Feb 8 | 356 d |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 8 | Apr 23 | May 7 | 176 d |
| Bakersfield, CA | Dec 23 | Jan 17 | Feb 18 | 334 d |
| Tulsa, OK | Mar 11 | Mar 31 | Apr 15 | 220 d |
| Arlington, TX | Feb 18 | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | 256 d |
| Aurora, CO | Apr 20 | May 4 | May 16 | 156 d |
| Wichita, KS | Mar 25 | Apr 11 | Apr 26 | 199 d |
| Cleveland, OH | Mar 29 | Apr 8 | Apr 20 | 217 d |
| New Orleans, LA | Dec 28 | Jan 22 | Feb 23 | 348 d |
| Henderson, NV | Dec 20 | Jan 20 | Feb 14 | 333 d |
| Orlando, FL | Dec 30 | Jan 25 | Feb 26 | 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
Is it safe to plant on the last frost date?
Not for tender plants. On the average date, half of years still have a frost to come. Tomatoes, peppers, squash and basil go out after the 1-in-10 late date, or once nights stay above 50 °F. Hardy crops such as peas, onions and spinach go in weeks before it.
Why does my town show a station in another town?
Not every town has a weather station with 30 years of daily records. We use the nearest one, up to 25 miles away, and show its name and distance so you can judge how close it is.
What counts as a frost here?
A night when the station recorded 32 °F or lower. A hard freeze, 28 °F or lower, usually ends earlier in spring; tender plants can still be damaged at 33 to 36 °F on clear, still nights in low spots.
Are these dates changing?
These are the averages for 1991 to 2020, the newest official normals. Many older charts still use 1981 to 2010, when last frosts tended to come a few days later in much of the country.
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.