U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00404561 · Tennessee

Frost Dates near Jackson, TN

NOAA weather station Jackson Experiment Station (USC00404561), Tennessee · elevation 400 ft (122 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Jackson is the nearest town to the station (1.9 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 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 250% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season207 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Jackson, TNSpring: a frost after March 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 2 in half of the years, after April 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 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: 207 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 2First frost ~Oct 29Frost season near Jackson, TNSpring: a frost after March 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 2 in half of the years, after April 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 16 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: 207 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 2First 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 18October 16
50% (typical)April 2October 29
90% (likely)March 16November 11
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
207 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 22
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 7

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 1 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 31 (2 days later). Frost-free season 210 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 Jackson: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 18, 20% April 12, 30% April 9, 40% April 5, 50% April 2, 60% March 31, 70% March 27, 80% March 23, 90% March 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 March 13, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 20, 2025 March 22, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 18Apr 2Mar 162021: April 232022: March 132023: March 212024: March 202025: March 222026: March 18Fall near Jackson: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 16, 20% October 21, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 29, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 6, 90% November 11. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 31, 2024 November 23, 2025 November 3.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 16Oct 29Nov 112021: November 42022: October 182023: October 312024: November 232025: November 3
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 4
2022March 13October 18
2023March 21October 31
2024March 20November 23
2025March 22November 3
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 18 is the cautious spring date for the Jackson area, and it allows a gardener to set out tender crops while facing only a 10 % chance of a later light frost. The 50% date is April 2, which marks the point where a light frost is equally likely to occur later in the season; similarly, the 50% date is October 29, indicating even odds of a light frost arriving earlier in the fall.

October 16 is the cautious fall date, giving a gardener a 10 % chance that a light frost has already begun, so it is the appropriate time to finish harvesting tender crops. Hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F because the lower temperature can kill tissues that survive a milder freeze.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 18" 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 16" 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 Jackson, TNNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Jackson (McKellar Airport), TN — 4 mi; 2 — Brownsville, TN — 23 mi; 3 — Lexington, TN — 26 mi; 4 — Bolivar, TN — 26 mi; 5 — Selmer, TN — 34 mi.TNALAR25 mi · 40 km1. Jackson (McKellar Airport), TN — 4 mi12. Brownsville, TN — 23 mi23. Lexington, TN — 26 mi34. Bolivar, TN — 26 mi45. Selmer, TN — 34 mi5
  1. Jackson (McKellar Airport), TN 4 mi (7 km)
  2. Brownsville, TN 23 mi (38 km)
  3. Lexington, TN 26 mi (41 km)
  4. Bolivar, TN 26 mi (42 km)
  5. Selmer, TN 34 mi (55 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 35.6214, -88.8456.