U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00408522 · Tennessee

Frost Dates near Sparta, TN

NOAA weather station Sparta Wastewater Plant (USC00408522), Tennessee · elevation 905 ft (276 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

Sparta is the nearest town to the station (1.4 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 1550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season191 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Sparta, TNSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 191 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 23Frost season near Sparta, TNSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 191 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 23
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 30October 11
50% (typical)April 15October 23
90% (likely)March 31November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
191 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 12 (3 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (4 days later). Frost-free season 195 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 Sparta: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 30, 20% April 25, 30% April 21, 40% April 18, 50% April 15, 60% April 12, 70% April 8, 80% April 5, 90% March 31. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 April 25, 2025 April 13, 2026 March 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 30Apr 15Mar 312021: April 222022: April 192023: April 252025: April 132026: March 19Fall near Sparta: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 15, 30% October 18, 40% October 21, 50% October 23, 60% October 26, 70% October 28, 80% November 1, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 5, 2022 October 9, 2023 November 1, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 23Nov 52021: November 52022: October 92023: November 12024: October 162025: 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 22November 5
2022April 19October 9
2023April 25November 1
2024incomplete recordOctober 16
2025April 13October 24
2026March 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the Sparta area is October 11, when there is only a 10 % chance a light frost has arrived. This date marks the point at which most tender crops should be pulled in to avoid the higher risk that follows.

For a gardener, the 50 % spring light-frost date is April 15, meaning the odds of a frost occurring after this day are even, and the 50 % fall light-frost date is October 23, the point where a frost is equally likely before or after. The cautious spring date for setting out tender crops is April 30, which carries a 10 % chance of a later frost, while pushing planting to March 31 would be a gamble with a 90 % chance of frost. Hard-frost median dates are April 3 in spring and November 1 in fall; a 28 °F hard frost can injure plants more severely than a 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 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 11" 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 Sparta, TNNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cookeville, TN — 14 mi; 2 — Smithville, TN — 18 mi; 3 — Crossville Ed & Research, TN — 21 mi; 4 — Crossville, TN — 22 mi; 5 — McMinnville, TN — 24 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Cookeville, TN — 14 mi12. Smithville, TN — 18 mi23. Crossville Ed & Research, TN — 21 mi34. Crossville, TN — 22 mi45. McMinnville, TN — 24 mi5
  1. Cookeville, TN 14 mi (22 km)
  2. Smithville, TN 18 mi (29 km)
  3. Crossville Ed & Research, TN 21 mi (33 km)
  4. Crossville, TN 22 mi (36 km)
  5. McMinnville, TN 24 mi (38 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: 35.9067, -85.475.