U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013874 · Georgia

Frost Dates near Atlanta, GA

NOAA weather station Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport (USW00013874), Georgia · elevation 1010 ft (308 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Atlanta is the nearest town to the station (8.8 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 4only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 2050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season252 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Atlanta, GASpring: a frost after February 23 in 9 years out of 10, after March 15 in half of the years, after April 4 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 4 in 1 year out of 10, before November 20 in half of the years, before December 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 252 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 15First frost ~Nov 20Frost season near Atlanta, GASpring: a frost after February 23 in 9 years out of 10, after March 15 in half of the years, after April 4 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 4 in 1 year out of 10, before November 20 in half of the years, before December 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 252 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 15First frost ~Nov 20
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 4November 4
50% (typical)March 15November 20
90% (likely)February 23December 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
252 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 28
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 10 (5 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 20. Frost-free season 252 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 near Atlanta: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 4, 20% March 28, 30% March 23, 40% March 18, 50% March 15, 60% March 12, 70% March 7, 80% March 1, 90% February 23. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 February 20, 2022 March 13, 2023 March 20, 2024 February 18, 2025 February 23, 2026 March 17.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 4Mar 15Feb 232021: February 202022: March 132023: March 202024: February 182025: February 232026: March 17Fall near Atlanta: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 4, 20% November 8, 30% November 13, 40% November 16, 50% November 20, 60% November 23, 70% November 28, 80% December 2, 90% December 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 23, 2022 November 18, 2023 November 29, 2024 November 30, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 4Nov 20Dec 102021: November 232022: November 182023: November 292024: November 302025: November 11
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
2021February 20November 23
2022March 13November 18
2023March 20November 29
2024February 18November 30
2025February 23November 11
2026March 17season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the Atlanta area is November 4, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. Gardeners who wait until this date can limit the risk of losing tender crops to an early frost. The median, or 50 % date, for light frost in spring is March 15 and for light frost in fall is November 20; these dates mark the point at which the odds of a frost are even, but they are not themselves frost events.

In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 4, a day with a 10 % chance of a frost occurring later; planting on February 23 would be a gamble with a 90 % chance of frost. The 50 % dates for hard frost are February 28 in spring and December 5 in fall. A hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants that would otherwise survive a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 4" 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 November 4" 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 Atlanta, GANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Dallas, GA — 31 mi; 2 — Carrollton, GA — 37 mi; 3 — Cedartown, GA — 54 mi; 4 — Gainesville, GA — 57 mi; 5 — Jasper, GA — 58 mi.GAAL25 mi · 40 km1. Dallas, GA — 31 mi12. Carrollton, GA — 37 mi23. Cedartown, GA — 54 mi34. Gainesville, GA — 57 mi45. Jasper, GA — 58 mi5
  1. Dallas, GA 31 mi (50 km)
  2. Carrollton, GA 37 mi (59 km)
  3. Cedartown, GA 54 mi (87 km)
  4. Gainesville, GA 57 mi (92 km)
  5. Jasper, GA 58 mi (94 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 33.63, -84.4417.