U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00230204 · Missouri

Frost Dates for Appleton City, MO

NOAA weather station Appleton City (USC00230204), Missouri · elevation 866 ft (264 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 24only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season202 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Appleton City, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 202 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Oct 29Frost season at Appleton City, MOSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 24 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 202 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Oct 29
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 24October 15
50% (typical)April 7October 29
90% (likely)March 23November 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
202 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 29
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 8 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 28 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 203 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 at Appleton City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 24, 20% April 17, 30% April 13, 40% April 10, 50% April 7, 60% April 4, 70% April 1, 80% March 29, 90% March 23. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 15, 2023 April 25, 2024 March 29, 2025 April 9, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 24Apr 7Mar 232021: April 232022: April 152023: April 252024: March 292025: April 92026: March 28Fall at Appleton City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 15, 20% October 20, 30% October 23, 40% October 26, 50% October 29, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 6, 90% November 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2022 October 19, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 17, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 15Oct 29Nov 112022: October 192023: October 302024: October 172025: November 2
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
2021April 23incomplete record
2022April 15October 19
2023April 25October 30
2024March 29October 17
2025April 9November 2
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 24 is the cautious spring date for Appleton City; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day a gardener can plan to set out tender crops. The 50% spring date, April 7, marks the point where a light frost is equally likely to occur later; the 50% fall date, October 29, marks the point where a light frost is equally likely to have occurred earlier. The median hard-frost dates are March 29 in spring and November 6 in fall, indicating when a 28 °F frost has a 50 % chance. October 15 is the cautious fall date, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, allowing the final harvest of tender crops. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F, so it represents a greater risk. The 30-year record shows 202 days between the two 32 °F 50% dates.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 24" 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 15" 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 Appleton City, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Clinton, MO — 20 mi; 2 — Butler, MO — 21 mi; 3 — Nevada, MO — 31 mi; 4 — near Stockton, MO — 37 mi; 5 — Lamar, MO — 43 mi.MOKS25 mi · 40 km1. Clinton, MO — 20 mi12. Butler, MO — 21 mi23. Nevada, MO — 31 mi34. near Stockton, MO — 37 mi45. Lamar, MO — 43 mi5
  1. Clinton, MO 20 mi (32 km)
  2. Butler, MO 21 mi (34 km)
  3. Nevada, MO 31 mi (49 km)
  4. near Stockton, MO 37 mi (59 km)
  5. Lamar, MO 43 mi (69 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: 38.1872, -94.0283.