U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014821 · Ohio

Frost Dates near Columbus, OH

NOAA weather station Columbus Port Columbus International Airport (USW00014821), Ohio · elevation 810 ft (247 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Columbus is the nearest town to the station (6.6 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 1850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season191 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Columbus, OHSpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 7 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 191 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 27Frost season near Columbus, OHSpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 7 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 191 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 27
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 5October 14
50% (typical)April 18October 27
90% (likely)April 4November 7
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
191 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 5
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 18 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 29 (2 days later). Frost-free season 193 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 Columbus: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 5, 20% April 29, 30% April 24, 40% April 21, 50% April 18, 60% April 16, 70% April 12, 80% April 8, 90% April 4. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 20, 2023 April 25, 2024 April 7, 2025 April 13, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 5Apr 18Apr 42021: April 232022: April 202023: April 252024: April 72025: April 132026: May 3Fall near Columbus: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 14, 20% October 19, 30% October 22, 40% October 24, 50% October 27, 60% October 29, 70% November 1, 80% November 3, 90% November 7. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 20, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 November 4.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 14Oct 27Nov 72021: November 32022: October 202023: October 312024: October 172025: November 4
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 25October 31
2024April 7October 17
2025April 13November 4
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date, April 4, carries a 90% chance of a frost later that season, making it a gamble for Columbus area gardeners. The cautious spring date is May 5, when only a 10% chance of a later frost remains. The cautious fall date for finishing tender crops is October 14, with a 10% chance that a frost has arrived earlier.

For a gardener, the 50% dates show when frost is equally likely to have occurred or not. The median light-frost date in spring is April 18, and the median light-frost date in fall is October 27. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 5 in spring and November 6 in fall.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost dates are a stricter benchmark; counting on tender crops after November 7 would be a gamble.

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 14" 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 Columbus, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Westerville, OH — 10 mi; 2 — Centerburg, OH — 24 mi; 3 — Marysville, OH — 25 mi; 4 — Newark, OH — 26 mi; 5 — Circleville, OH — 27 mi.WV25 mi · 40 km1. Westerville, OH — 10 mi12. Centerburg, OH — 24 mi23. Marysville, OH — 25 mi34. Newark, OH — 26 mi45. Circleville, OH — 27 mi5
  1. Westerville, OH 10 mi (16 km)
  2. Centerburg, OH 24 mi (38 km)
  3. Marysville, OH 25 mi (40 km)
  4. Newark, OH 26 mi (41 km)
  5. Circleville, OH 27 mi (43 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 39.9914, -82.8808.