U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00441322 · Virginia

Frost Dates near Blackstone, VA

NOAA weather station Fort Pickett (USC00441322), Virginia · elevation 330 ft (101 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Blackstone is the nearest town to the station (4.1 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 1only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 3050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season200 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Blackstone, VASpring: a frost after March 28 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 200 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 30Frost season near Blackstone, VASpring: a frost after March 28 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 200 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 30
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 1October 16
50% (typical)April 11October 30
90% (likely)March 28November 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
200 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 30
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 7

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 9 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 1 (2 days later). Frost-free season 205 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 Blackstone: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 1, 20% April 21, 30% April 18, 40% April 15, 50% April 11, 60% April 8, 70% April 5, 80% April 1, 90% March 28. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 24, 2022 April 21, 2023 March 22, 2024 March 26, 2025 April 10, 2026 April 21.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 1Apr 11Mar 282021: April 242022: April 212023: March 222024: March 262025: April 102026: April 21Fall near Blackstone: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 16, 20% October 21, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 30, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 6, 90% November 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 5, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 11.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 16Oct 30Nov 112021: November 52022: October 192023: November 22024: November 222025: 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
2021April 24November 5
2022April 21October 19
2023March 22November 2
2024March 26November 22
2025April 10November 11
2026April 21season not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on March 28 in the Blackstone area carries a 90 % chance of a light frost later that season, making it a gamble for any gardener. The cautious alternative is to wait until May 1, when only a 10 % chance of a later frost remains, providing a much lower risk for delicate plants.

April 11 marks the median light-frost date in spring, meaning a light frost is equally likely to have occurred as not; the fall counterpart is October 30. For those aiming to finish tender crops before frost, the cautious fall date is October 16, when the chance of an earlier frost is only 10 %. The median hard-frost dates are March 30 in spring and November 7 in fall, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage or kill plants that would 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 1" 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 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 Blackstone, VANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Emporia, VA — 32 mi; 2 — near Bracey, VA — 36 mi; 3 — Hopewell, VA — 41 mi; 4 — Richmond, VA — 47 mi; 5 — Wakefield, VA — 52 mi.VANC25 mi · 40 km1. Emporia, VA — 32 mi12. near Bracey, VA — 36 mi23. Hopewell, VA — 41 mi34. Richmond, VA — 47 mi45. Wakefield, VA — 52 mi5
  1. Emporia, VA 32 mi (51 km)
  2. near Bracey, VA 36 mi (58 km)
  3. Hopewell, VA 41 mi (66 km)
  4. Richmond, VA 47 mi (76 km)
  5. Wakefield, VA 52 mi (84 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 37.0375, -77.9461.