NOAA station USC00406534 · Tennessee

Frost Dates for Newport, TN

NOAA weather station Newport 1 NW (USC00406534), Tennessee · elevation 1036 ft (316 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 23only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season203 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Newport, TNSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 203 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 7First frost ~Oct 29Frost season at Newport, TNSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 7 in half of the years, after April 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 203 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 7First 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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 23October 17
50% (typical)April 7October 29
90% (likely)March 23November 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
203 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 27
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 8 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 31 (2 days later). Frost-free season 205 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 Newport: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 23, 20% April 18, 30% April 14, 40% April 11, 50% April 7, 60% April 5, 70% April 1, 80% March 29, 90% March 23. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 10, 2023 March 30, 2024 April 6, 2025 April 13, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 23Apr 7Mar 232021: April 232022: April 102023: March 302024: April 62025: April 132026: March 29Fall at Newport: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 17, 20% October 21, 30% October 24, 40% October 26, 50% October 29, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 5, 90% November 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 6, 2022 October 20, 2023 November 1, 2025 November 1.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 17Oct 29Nov 102021: November 62022: October 202023: November 12025: November 1
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 6
2022April 10October 20
2023March 30November 1
2024April 6incomplete record
2025April 13November 1
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 17 is the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops in Newport. Gardeners who want the lowest risk wait until after the cautious spring date, April 23, to set out tender crops, and they aim to complete harvest before the cautious fall date, October 17, because only a 10 % chance of a light frost exists earlier.

The 50% dates are April 7 in spring and October 29 in fall; at each of these moments a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after, giving a neutral benchmark. The 50% date for hard frost in spring is March 27 and in fall is November 6, marking the point where a hard freeze has a 50 % chance on either side of the date.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F, making it a more critical threshold for tender plants.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 23" 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 17" 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 Newport, TNNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Waterville, NC — 16 mi; 2 — Hot Springs, NC — 22 mi; 3 — Sevierville, TN — 23 mi; 4 — Mount Leconte, TN — 26 mi; 5 — Gatlinburg, TN — 28 mi.TNNC25 mi · 40 km1. Waterville, NC — 16 mi12. Hot Springs, NC — 22 mi23. Sevierville, TN — 23 mi34. Mount Leconte, TN — 26 mi45. Gatlinburg, TN — 28 mi5
  1. Waterville, NC 16 mi (25 km)
  2. Hot Springs, NC 22 mi (35 km)
  3. Sevierville, TN 23 mi (36 km)
  4. Mount Leconte, TN 26 mi (42 km)
  5. Gatlinburg, TN 28 mi (45 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: 35.9833, -83.2008.