U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00094705 · Vermont

Frost Dates near Barre, VT

NOAA weather station Barre Montpelier Airport (USW00094705), Vermont · elevation 1126 ft (343 m) · hardiness zone 5a*

Barre is the nearest town to the station (3.9 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 May 30only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 1650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostSeptember 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season136 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Barre, VTSpring: a frost after May 2 in 9 years out of 10, after May 16 in half of the years, after May 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 16 in 1 year out of 10, before September 29 in half of the years, before October 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 136 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 16First frost ~Sep 29Frost season near Barre, VTSpring: a frost after May 2 in 9 years out of 10, after May 16 in half of the years, after May 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 16 in 1 year out of 10, before September 29 in half of the years, before October 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 136 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 16First frost ~Sep 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)May 30September 16
50% (typical)May 16September 29
90% (likely)May 2October 12
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
136 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
May 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 9

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 11 (5 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 4 (5 days later). Frost-free season 143 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 Barre: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 30, 20% May 26, 30% May 22, 40% May 19, 50% May 16, 60% May 13, 70% May 10, 80% May 6, 90% May 2. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 7, 2022 May 9, 2023 May 26, 2024 April 27, 2025 May 1, 2026 May 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 30May 16May 22021: May 72022: May 92023: May 262024: April 272025: May 12026: May 22Fall near Barre: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 16, 20% September 21, 30% September 24, 40% September 27, 50% September 29, 60% October 1, 70% October 4, 80% October 7, 90% October 12. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 23, 2022 October 3, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 16, 2025 September 21.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 16Sep 29Oct 122021: October 232022: October 32023: October 312024: October 162025: September 21
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
2021May 7October 23
2022May 9October 3
2023May 26October 31
2024April 27October 16
2025May 1September 21
2026May 22season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 30 is the cautious spring date for the Barre area, indicating only a 10 % chance that a light frost will occur later. With that risk level, a gardener can confidently set out tender crops after this date, knowing the likelihood of a damaging frost is low.

The 50 % dates are the points at which there is a 50 % chance of a light frost later than the date in spring (May 16) and a 50 % chance of a light frost earlier than the date in fall (September 29). The hard-frost median dates are May 3 in spring and October 9 in fall; these are the dates at which a 28 °F frost has a 50 % chance of occurring. For a cautious fall schedule, September 16 is the date with only a 10 % chance of a light frost arriving earlier, allowing the gardener to finish harvesting tender crops.

Hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that may 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 May 30" 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 September 16" 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 Barre, VTNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Stowe, VT — 25 mi; 2 — Rochester, VT — 26 mi; 3 — Saint Johnsbury, VT — 31 mi; 4 — Burlington, VT — 34 mi; 5 — Cornwall, VT — 36 mi.NHNY25 mi · 40 km1. near Stowe, VT — 25 mi12. Rochester, VT — 26 mi23. Saint Johnsbury, VT — 31 mi34. Burlington, VT — 34 mi45. Cornwall, VT — 36 mi5
  1. near Stowe, VT 25 mi (40 km)
  2. Rochester, VT 26 mi (42 km)
  3. Saint Johnsbury, VT 31 mi (51 km)
  4. Burlington, VT 34 mi (54 km)
  5. Cornwall, VT 36 mi (57 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 44.2033, -72.5794.