NOAA station USW00014825 · Ohio
Frost Dates for Findlay, OH
NOAA weather station Findlay Airport (USW00014825), Ohio · elevation 800 ft (244 m) · hardiness zone 6b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter May 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostApril 1950% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostOctober 2350% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season185 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone6bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | May 6 | October 9 |
| 50% (typical) | April 19 | October 23 |
| 90% (likely) | April 5 | November 4 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 185 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- April 8
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- November 3
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost April 20 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 25 (2 days later). Frost-free season 187 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | May 1 | November 3 |
| 2022 | April 27 | October 8 |
| 2023 | April 26 | October 30 |
| 2024 | April 6 | October 17 |
| 2025 | April 17 | incomplete record |
| 2026 | May 3 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
May 6 is the cautious spring date for light frost in Findlay, with a 10 % chance that a frost will occur later; it gives a gardener a reliable point to set out tender crops. The 50 % dates—April 19 in spring and October 23 in fall—mark the median when a light frost has an even chance of occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall). The hard-frost median dates are April 8 and November 3; that lower temperature can kill tissue that would survive a light frost, making it a greater threat to tender crops. October 9 is the cautious fall date, with only a 10 % chance a light frost has arrived earlier, serving as a deadline for finishing tender-crop harvests. The 30-year record shows 185 days between the two 32 °F 50 % dates, illustrating the length of the period between median light-frost odds.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after May 6" 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 9" 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
- Findlay WPCC, OH 2 mi (4 km)
- Pandora, OH 16 mi (26 km)
- Bowling Green, OH 26 mi (41 km)
- Lima, OH 31 mi (50 km)
- Bucyrus, OH 39 mi (63 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USW00014825
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USW00014825
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* 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: 41.0136, -83.6686.