U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00093720 · Maryland

Frost Dates near Salisbury, MD

NOAA weather station Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport (USW00093720), Maryland · elevation 48 ft (15 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Salisbury is the nearest town to the station (5.0 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 30only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 3050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season201 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Salisbury, MDSpring: a frost after March 28 in 9 years out of 10, after April 10 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 201 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 10First frost ~Oct 30Frost season near Salisbury, MDSpring: a frost after March 28 in 9 years out of 10, after April 10 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 201 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 10First frost ~Oct 30
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 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 30October 15
50% (typical)April 10October 30
90% (likely)March 28November 12
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
201 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 30
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 9

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 12 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 1 (2 days later). Frost-free season 203 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 Salisbury: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 30, 20% April 21, 30% April 17, 40% April 14, 50% April 10, 60% April 7, 70% April 5, 80% April 1, 90% March 28. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 29, 2023 April 10, 2024 March 26, 2025 April 17, 2026 April 21.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 30Apr 10Mar 282021: April 232022: April 292023: April 102024: March 262025: April 172026: April 21Fall near Salisbury: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 15, 20% October 20, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 30, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 7, 90% November 12. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 14, 2022 October 19, 2023 November 2, 2024 October 28, 2025 November 6.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 15Oct 30Nov 122021: November 142022: October 192023: November 22024: October 282025: November 6
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 14
2022April 29October 19
2023April 10November 2
2024March 26October 28
2025April 17November 6
2026April 21season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 30 is the cautious spring date for the Salisbury area, and it lets a gardener set out tender crops while keeping the chance of a later light frost to only 10%. The earlier spring date, March 28, carries a 90% chance of a frost and is therefore a gamble.

The median light-frost dates are April 10 in spring and October 30 in fall; each of those dates represents an even 50% chance of a frost occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall). For a cautious fall plan the date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 15, when only 10% of years see a frost before then. The hard-frost median dates are March 30 and November 9; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 30" 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 Salisbury, MDNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Snow Hill, MD — 10 mi; 2 — Wallops Island Flight Fac, VA — 28 mi; 3 — Royal Oak, MD — 45 mi; 4 — near Lexington Park, MD — 49 mi; 5 — Cape May, NJ — 52 mi.MDDEVA25 mi · 40 km1. Snow Hill, MD — 10 mi12. Wallops Island Flight Fac, VA — 28 mi23. Royal Oak, MD — 45 mi34. near Lexington Park, MD — 49 mi45. Cape May, NJ — 52 mi5
  1. Snow Hill, MD 10 mi (17 km)
  2. Wallops Island Flight Fac, VA 28 mi (45 km)
  3. Royal Oak, MD 45 mi (72 km)
  4. near Lexington Park, MD 49 mi (79 km)
  5. Cape May, NJ 52 mi (84 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: 38.3406, -75.5103.