U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003849 · Kentucky

Frost Dates near London, KY

NOAA weather station London Corbin Airport (USW00003849), Kentucky · elevation 1188 ft (362 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

London is the nearest town to the station (2.9 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 May 3only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season192 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near London, KYSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 25Frost season near London, KYSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after May 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 25
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 3October 13
50% (typical)April 15October 25
90% (likely)March 31November 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
192 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 1
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 3

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 15 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (2 days later). Frost-free season 194 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 London: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 3, 20% April 28, 30% April 22, 40% April 18, 50% April 15, 60% April 11, 70% April 8, 80% April 5, 90% March 31. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 10, 2023 April 24, 2024 April 22, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 3Apr 15Mar 312021: April 232022: April 102023: April 242024: April 222026: March 29Fall near London: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 13, 20% October 17, 30% October 21, 40% October 23, 50% October 25, 60% October 27, 70% October 30, 80% November 2, 90% November 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 9, 2023 October 31, 2024 November 21, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 13Oct 25Nov 62021: November 32022: October 92023: October 312024: November 212025: October 24
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 3
2022April 10October 9
2023April 24October 31
2024April 22November 21
2025incomplete recordOctober 24
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 192 days between the 32°F 50% dates—April 15 and October 25—span the interval when the likelihood of a light frost is below even odds. The 50% date is April 15; at that point a light frost has a 50% chance of occurring later, and the 50% date is October 25; at that point a light frost has a 50% chance of occurring earlier.

For a cautious spring plan, the tender-crop date is May 3, when there is only a 10% chance of a frost later. In fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 13, with only a 10% chance that a frost has arrived earlier. The early-spring date of March 31 and the late-fall date of November 6 each carry a 90% chance of a frost and are therefore gambles.

A hard frost at 28°F, marked by the median dates of April 1 in spring and November 3 in fall, can injure plants that would survive the milder 32°F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 3" 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 London, KYNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Somerset, KY — 30 mi; 2 — Tazewell, TN — 52 mi; 3 — Jackson, KY — 55 mi; 4 — Norris, TN — 60 mi; 5 — near Lexington, KY — 72 mi.KYVAWV50 mi · 80 km1. Somerset, KY — 30 mi12. Tazewell, TN — 52 mi23. Jackson, KY — 55 mi34. Norris, TN — 60 mi45. near Lexington, KY — 72 mi5
  1. Somerset, KY 30 mi (48 km)
  2. Tazewell, TN 52 mi (83 km)
  3. Jackson, KY 55 mi (88 km)
  4. Norris, TN 60 mi (97 km)
  5. near Lexington, KY 72 mi (116 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 37.0872, -84.0769.