U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00194105 · Massachusetts

Frost Dates for Lawrence, MA

NOAA weather station Lawrence (USC00194105), Massachusetts · elevation 50 ft (15 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 29only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season198 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Lawrence, MASpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 13 in half of the years, after April 29 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 198 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 13First frost ~Oct 28Frost season at Lawrence, MASpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 13 in half of the years, after April 29 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 198 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 13First frost ~Oct 28
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 29October 13
50% (typical)April 13October 28
90% (likely)April 1November 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
198 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 9

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 10 (3 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 2 (5 days later). Frost-free season 204 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 Lawrence: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 29, 20% April 23, 30% April 19, 40% April 17, 50% April 13, 60% April 10, 70% April 7, 80% April 4, 90% April 1. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 April 10, 2024 April 28, 2025 April 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 29Apr 13Apr 12021: April 222022: April 192023: April 102024: April 282025: April 18Fall at Lawrence: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 13, 20% October 18, 30% October 22, 40% October 26, 50% October 28, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 6, 90% November 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2023 November 3, 2024 October 17.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 13Oct 28Nov 102021: November 32023: November 32024: October 17
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 19incomplete record
2023April 10November 3
2024April 28October 17
2025April 18incomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date of April 1 in Lawrence carries a 90 % chance of a light frost later, so planting then is a gamble. The cautious spring date for tender crops is April 29, when only a 10 % chance remains that frost will appear after that day.

The 50 % light-frost date of April 13 means a gardener has an even odds of a frost occurring later than that point; the median hard-frost date is April 3, indicating when temperatures reach 28 °F with 50 % probability. In the fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 13, with a 10 % chance that frost has already arrived, while October 28 is the 50 % light-frost date and November 9 is the 50 % hard-frost date. A hard frost matters more than a light frost because the lower 28 °F temperature can damage plant tissue that survives the milder 32 °F chill.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 29" 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 13" 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 Lawrence, MANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Haverhill, MA — 7 mi; 2 — Groveland, MA — 7 mi; 3 — Middleton, MA — 10 mi; 4 — Lowell, MA — 11 mi; 5 — Reading, MA — 12 mi.MANHVTME25 mi · 40 km1. Haverhill, MA — 7 mi12. Groveland, MA — 7 mi23. Middleton, MA — 10 mi34. Lowell, MA — 11 mi45. Reading, MA — 12 mi5
  1. Haverhill, MA 7 mi (11 km)
  2. Groveland, MA 7 mi (11 km)
  3. Middleton, MA 10 mi (17 km)
  4. Lowell, MA 11 mi (17 km)
  5. Reading, MA 12 mi (20 km)

Sources

* 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: 42.6992, -71.1658.