U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00093817 · Indiana

Frost Dates for Evansville, IN

NOAA weather station Evansville Regional Airport (USW00093817), Indiana · elevation 400 ft (122 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 19only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season206 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Evansville, INSpring: a frost after March 22 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 19 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 206 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Oct 29Frost season at Evansville, INSpring: a frost after March 22 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 19 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 11 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 206 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Oct 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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 19October 17
50% (typical)April 4October 29
90% (likely)March 22November 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
206 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 25
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 8

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 5 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 31 (2 days later). Frost-free season 209 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 Evansville: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 19, 20% April 14, 30% April 10, 40% April 7, 50% April 4, 60% April 1, 70% March 30, 80% March 27, 90% March 22. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 3, 2023 April 24, 2024 April 6, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 19Apr 4Mar 222021: April 222022: April 32023: April 242024: April 62025: April 82026: March 18Fall at Evansville: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 17, 20% October 22, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 29, 60% October 31, 70% November 2, 80% November 5, 90% November 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 19, 2023 October 31, 2024 November 26, 2025 November 9.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 17Oct 29Nov 112021: November 32022: October 192023: October 312024: November 262025: November 9
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 22November 3
2022April 3October 19
2023April 24October 31
2024April 6November 26
2025April 8November 9
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 206 days between the 50% dates in Evansville frame the interval in which tender crops can be grown with reasonable expectation of avoiding a light frost. During that span gardeners can plan planting after the cautious spring date and harvesting before the cautious fall date.

The 50% light-frost date in spring is April 4, meaning there is a 50 % probability of a frost on that day; the 50% light-frost date in fall is October 29, likewise indicating equal odds of a frost. For a cautious approach, the spring date to set out tender crops is April 19, which carries only a 10 % chance of a frost later, while the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 17, with only a 10 % chance of a frost earlier. The 50% hard-frost dates are March 25 in spring and November 8 in fall. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives 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 April 19" 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 17" 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 Evansville, INNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Boonville, IN — 13 mi; 2 — Henderson, KY — 21 mi; 3 — Princeton, IN — 22 mi; 4 — Mount Vernon, IN — 22 mi; 5 — Carmi, IL — 36 mi.ILINKY25 mi · 40 km1. Boonville, IN — 13 mi12. Henderson, KY — 21 mi23. Princeton, IN — 22 mi34. Mount Vernon, IN — 22 mi45. Carmi, IL — 36 mi5
  1. Boonville, IN 13 mi (22 km)
  2. Henderson, KY 21 mi (34 km)
  3. Princeton, IN 22 mi (35 km)
  4. Mount Vernon, IN 22 mi (35 km)
  5. Carmi, IL 36 mi (58 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: 38.0442, -87.5206.