U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00421168 · Utah

Frost Dates for Canyonlands-The Needles, UT

NOAA weather station Canyonlands-The Needles (USC00421168), Utah · elevation 4906 ft (1495 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 16only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season164 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Canyonlands-The Needles, UTSpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 27 in 1 year out of 10, before October 11 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 11Frost season at Canyonlands-The Needles, UTSpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 27 in 1 year out of 10, before October 11 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 164 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 11
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 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 16September 27
50% (typical)April 30October 11
90% (likely)April 16October 25
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
164 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 18
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 22

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 30 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 13 (2 days later). Frost-free season 163 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 Canyonlands-The Needles: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 16, 20% May 10, 30% May 6, 40% May 3, 50% April 30, 60% April 28, 70% April 25, 80% April 22, 90% April 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 25, 2022 May 4, 2023 April 23, 2025 April 30.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1May 16Apr 30Apr 162021: April 252022: May 42023: April 232025: April 30Fall at Canyonlands-The Needles: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 27, 20% October 2, 30% October 5, 40% October 8, 50% October 11, 60% October 14, 70% October 17, 80% October 20, 90% October 25. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 15, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 28, 2025 October 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 27Oct 11Oct 252021: October 152022: October 92023: October 282025: October 29
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 25October 15
2022May 4October 9
2023April 23October 28
2024incomplete recordincomplete record
2025April 30October 29
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

May 16 is the cautious spring date in Canyonlands-The Needles, allowing a gardener to plan setting out tender crops with only a 10 % chance of a later frost. The conservative fall date is September 27, marking a point when there is just a 10 % chance that a frost has already arrived, so harvesting tender crops can be timed safely.

The 50% light-frost dates are April 30 in spring and October 11 in fall; these are median dates with an even chance of frost and are not frost dates themselves. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 18 and October 22, indicating when a 28 °F frost is equally likely. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so it is a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 16" 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 27" 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 Canyonlands-The Needles, UTNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Canyonlands-The Neck, UT — 20 mi; 2 — Hans Flat Ranger Station, UT — 24 mi; 3 — Moab, UT — 30 mi; 4 — Natural Bridges National Monument, UT — 40 mi; 5 — Blanding, UT — 41 mi.UTCO25 mi · 40 km1. Canyonlands-The Neck, UT — 20 mi12. Hans Flat Ranger Station, UT — 24 mi23. Moab, UT — 30 mi34. Natural Bridges National Monument, UT — 40 mi45. Blanding, UT — 41 mi5
  1. Canyonlands-The Neck, UT 20 mi (33 km)
  2. Hans Flat Ranger Station, UT 24 mi (38 km)
  3. Moab, UT 30 mi (49 km)
  4. Natural Bridges National Monument, UT 40 mi (65 km)
  5. Blanding, UT 41 mi (66 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 38.1678, -109.7597.