U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013978 · Mississippi

Frost Dates near Greenwood, MS

NOAA weather station Greenwood Leflore Airport (USW00013978), Mississippi · elevation 133 ft (41 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Greenwood is the nearest town to the station (5.5 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 April 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season231 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Greenwood, MSSpring: a frost after February 26 in 9 years out of 10, after March 17 in half of the years, after April 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 23 in 1 year out of 10, before November 5 in half of the years, before November 23 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 231 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 17First frost ~Nov 5Frost season near Greenwood, MSSpring: a frost after February 26 in 9 years out of 10, after March 17 in half of the years, after April 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 23 in 1 year out of 10, before November 5 in half of the years, before November 23 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 231 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 17First frost ~Nov 5
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)April 5October 23
50% (typical)March 17November 5
90% (likely)February 26November 23
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
231 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 18

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 14 (3 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 6 (1 day later). Frost-free season 237 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 Greenwood: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 5, 20% March 31, 30% March 26, 40% March 21, 50% March 17, 60% March 14, 70% March 9, 80% March 4, 90% February 26. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 2, 2022 March 13, 2023 March 20, 2024 March 19, 2025 March 21, 2026 March 17.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 5Mar 17Feb 262021: April 22022: March 132023: March 202024: March 192025: March 212026: March 17Fall near Greenwood: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 23, 20% October 28, 30% November 1, 40% November 3, 50% November 5, 60% November 9, 70% November 13, 80% November 17, 90% November 23. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 19, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 1, 2024 November 23, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 23Nov 5Nov 232021: November 192022: October 192023: November 12024: November 232025: November 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 2November 19
2022March 13October 19
2023March 20November 1
2024March 19November 23
2025March 21November 10
2026March 17season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 5 is the cautious spring light-frost date, giving gardeners a ten-percent chance that a frost will still occur later, and it marks the point when tender crops can be set out with low risk.

The 50% date is March 17, which carries a 50% chance of a light frost later than this date, and the 50% date is November 5, which carries a 50% chance of a light frost earlier than this date. October 23 is the cautious fall light-frost date, with only a ten-percent chance that a frost has already arrived, making it the point to finish harvesting tender crops. The median hard-frost dates are March 3 in spring and November 18 in fall; hard frosts at 28 °F pose a greater risk to plant tissue than the milder 32 °F light frosts.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 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 23" 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 Greenwood, MSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Moorhead, MS — 25 mi; 2 — Winona, MS — 27 mi; 3 — Yazoo City, MS — 44 mi; 4 — University, MS — 68 mi; 5 — Rohwer, AR — 72 mi.50 mi · 80 km1. Moorhead, MS — 25 mi12. Winona, MS — 27 mi23. Yazoo City, MS — 44 mi34. University, MS — 68 mi45. Rohwer, AR — 72 mi5
  1. Moorhead, MS 25 mi (40 km)
  2. Winona, MS 27 mi (43 km)
  3. Yazoo City, MS 44 mi (71 km)
  4. University, MS 68 mi (110 km)
  5. Rohwer, AR 72 mi (116 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 33.4964, -90.0867.