U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00192107 · Massachusetts

Frost Dates near Fiskdale, MA

NOAA weather station East Brimfield Lake (USC00192107), Massachusetts · elevation 700 ft (213 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Fiskdale is the nearest town to the station (0.8 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 17only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season169 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Fiskdale, MASpring: a frost after April 14 in 9 years out of 10, after April 28 in half of the years, after May 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 28First frost ~Oct 15Frost season near Fiskdale, MASpring: a frost after April 14 in 9 years out of 10, after April 28 in half of the years, after May 17 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 28First frost ~Oct 15
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 17October 1
50% (typical)April 28October 15
90% (likely)April 14November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
169 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 27

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 28 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 20 (5 days later). Frost-free season 174 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 Fiskdale: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 17, 20% May 9, 30% May 4, 40% May 1, 50% April 28, 60% April 24, 70% April 22, 80% April 19, 90% April 14. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 22, 2023 May 18, 2024 April 27, 2025 April 19, 2026 April 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 17Apr 28Apr 142021: April 232022: April 222023: May 182024: April 272025: April 192026: April 22Fall near Fiskdale: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 5, 30% October 8, 40% October 12, 50% October 15, 60% October 18, 70% October 21, 80% October 26, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 29, 2022 October 29, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 15Nov 12021: October 292022: October 292023: October 312024: October 172025: October 10
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 23October 29
2022April 22October 29
2023May 18October 31
2024April 27October 17
2025April 19October 10
2026April 22season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 1 marks the cautious fall date in the Fiskdale area for finishing the harvest of tender crops, when there is only a 10% chance a light frost has arrived.

For a gardener, the 50% light-frost dates are April 28 in spring and October 15 in fall; each represents an even-odds point, with a 50% chance a frost occurs later (spring) or earlier (fall). The span between them is 169 days. Hard-frost 50% dates are April 13 and October 27. A hard frost at 28°F can damage or kill plants that survive a light frost at 32°F, so it is a more critical threshold.

A cautious planting plan uses the May 17 light-frost date in spring and the October 1 date in fall for tender crops, while the April 14 and November 1 dates carry a 90% chance of frost and are gambles.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 17" 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 1" 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 Fiskdale, MANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Worcester, MA — 17 mi; 2 — Storrs, CT — 22 mi; 3 — North Foster, RI — 27 mi; 4 — Amherst, MA — 28 mi; 5 — Hartford (Bradley Airport), CT — 31 mi.CTRINYNH25 mi · 40 km1. Worcester, MA — 17 mi12. Storrs, CT — 22 mi23. North Foster, RI — 27 mi34. Amherst, MA — 28 mi45. Hartford (Bradley Airport), CT — 31 mi5
  1. Worcester, MA 17 mi (27 km)
  2. Storrs, CT 22 mi (36 km)
  3. North Foster, RI 27 mi (43 km)
  4. Amherst, MA 28 mi (46 km)
  5. Hartford (Bradley Airport), CT 31 mi (50 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 42.1103, -72.1269.