U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00235834 · Missouri

Frost Dates for Mountain Grove, MO

NOAA weather station Mountain Grove 2 N (USC00235834), Missouri · elevation 1466 ft (447 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 29only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season196 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Mountain Grove, MOSpring: a frost after March 25 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 29 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 196 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 28Frost season at Mountain Grove, MOSpring: a frost after March 25 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 29 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 196 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 11First 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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 29October 15
50% (typical)April 11October 28
90% (likely)March 25November 9
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
196 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 31
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 11 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 198 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 Mountain Grove: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 29, 20% April 24, 30% April 18, 40% April 14, 50% April 11, 60% April 7, 70% April 4, 80% March 31, 90% March 25. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 20, 2023 April 24, 2024 April 5, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 29Apr 11Mar 252021: April 232022: April 202023: April 242024: April 52025: April 82026: March 18Fall at Mountain Grove: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 15, 20% October 19, 30% October 22, 40% October 25, 50% October 28, 60% October 30, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 9. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 15Oct 28Nov 92021: November 42022: October 182023: October 302024: October 162025: 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 23November 4
2022April 20October 18
2023April 24October 30
2024April 5October 16
2025April 8November 10
2026March 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 29 is the cautious light-frost date for Mountain Grove, carrying a 10 % chance that a frost will occur later; it marks the day a gardener can confidently set out tender crops. The early spring gamble is March 25, when a 90 % chance of frost still exists.

The 50 % light-frost date in spring is April 11, meaning an even odds of a frost occurring after that point, while the 50 % date in fall is October 28 with equal odds of a frost earlier. For a cautious fall plan the date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 15, which has only a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier. The median hard-frost dates are March 31 and November 5; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue more severely than a light frost at 32 °F.

According to the 30-year record, the two 32°F 50% dates—April 11 and October 28—are 196 days apart, while the hard-frost medians fall on March 31 and November 5.

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 15" 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 Mountain Grove, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Mansfield, MO — 18 mi; 2 — Licking, MO — 35 mi; 3 — Marshfield, MO — 41 mi; 4 — Lebanon, MO — 44 mi; 5 — Waynesville, MO — 46 mi.MO25 mi · 40 km1. Mansfield, MO — 18 mi12. Licking, MO — 35 mi23. Marshfield, MO — 41 mi34. Lebanon, MO — 44 mi45. Waynesville, MO — 46 mi5
  1. Mansfield, MO 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Licking, MO 35 mi (56 km)
  3. Marshfield, MO 41 mi (67 km)
  4. Lebanon, MO 44 mi (70 km)
  5. Waynesville, MO 46 mi (73 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: 37.1542, -92.2619.