U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013866 · West Virginia

Frost Dates near Charleston, WV

NOAA weather station Charleston Yeager Airport (USW00013866), West Virginia · elevation 910 ft (277 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Charleston is the nearest town to the station (3.1 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 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season192 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Charleston, WVSpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 26Frost season near Charleston, WVSpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 26
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 5October 13
50% (typical)April 16October 26
90% (likely)April 1November 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
192 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 1
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 13 (3 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 29 (3 days later). Frost-free season 199 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 Charleston: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 5, 20% April 28, 30% April 23, 40% April 19, 50% April 16, 60% April 12, 70% April 9, 80% April 5, 90% April 1. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 20, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 13, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 5Apr 16Apr 12021: April 232022: April 202023: April 252024: April 222025: April 132026: May 3Fall near Charleston: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 13, 20% October 17, 30% October 21, 40% October 23, 50% October 26, 60% October 29, 70% October 31, 80% November 2, 90% November 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 20, 2023 November 1, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 13Oct 26Nov 62021: November 32022: October 202023: November 12024: October 172025: October 24
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 23November 3
2022April 20October 20
2023April 25November 1
2024April 22October 17
2025April 13October 24
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

The interval between the two 32°F 50% dates—April 16 and October 26—covers 192 days, during which tender crops can be grown in the Charleston area. The April 16 and October 26 dates represent the median points when a light frost is equally likely, marking the central span of the frost-free interval over the 30-year record.

For a cautious spring planting, the 10 % chance date is May 5; planting earlier on April 1 carries a 90 % chance of a light frost and is a gamble. In fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 13, while waiting until November 6 would face a 90 % chance of a light frost. The 50 % hard-frost dates are April 1 in spring and November 5 in fall, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F because it occurs at a lower temperature. Hard-frost medians on April 1 and November 5 indicate when temperatures reach the more damaging 28 °F threshold half the time.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 5" 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 13" 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 Charleston, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — London Locks, WV — 18 mi; 2 — near Winfield, WV — 20 mi; 3 — Ripley, WV — 31 mi; 4 — Spencer, WV — 32 mi; 5 — Hogsett RC Byrd Dam, WV — 38 mi.WVOHKY25 mi · 40 km1. London Locks, WV — 18 mi12. near Winfield, WV — 20 mi23. Ripley, WV — 31 mi34. Spencer, WV — 32 mi45. Hogsett RC Byrd Dam, WV — 38 mi5
  1. London Locks, WV 18 mi (28 km)
  2. near Winfield, WV 20 mi (33 km)
  3. Ripley, WV 31 mi (50 km)
  4. Spencer, WV 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Hogsett RC Byrd Dam, WV 38 mi (62 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: 38.3794, -81.59.