U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00468384 · West Virginia

Frost Dates for Spencer, WV

NOAA weather station Spencer (USC00468384), West Virginia · elevation 972 ft (296 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season169 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Spencer, WVSpring: a frost after April 15 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 17Frost season at Spencer, WVSpring: a frost after April 15 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 29 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 17
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 18October 3
50% (typical)April 30October 17
90% (likely)April 15October 29
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
169 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 19
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 27

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 28 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (5 days later). Frost-free season 176 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 Spencer: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 18, 20% May 11, 30% May 7, 40% May 3, 50% April 30, 60% April 26, 70% April 23, 80% April 20, 90% April 15. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 April 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Jun 1May 18Apr 30Apr 152021: May 132022: April 29Fall at Spencer: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 3, 20% October 7, 30% October 11, 40% October 14, 50% October 17, 60% October 19, 70% October 22, 80% October 26, 90% October 29. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2023 October 23.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 3Oct 17Oct 292021: November 32023: October 23
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
2021May 13November 3
2022April 29incomplete record
2023incomplete recordOctober 23
2024incomplete recordincomplete record
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date, April 15, is a gamble; the record shows a 90 % chance that a light frost will still occur later. In contrast, the cautious spring date for tender crops is May 18, when only a 10 % chance of a light frost remains.

The 50 % dates—April 30 in spring and October 17 in fall—represent the median point at which a light frost is equally likely to have happened or not; they are not frost dates themselves. For a cautious plan in the fall, the date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 3, which carries only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived. The hard-frost 50 % dates are April 19 and October 27, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage or kill plants that would 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 May 18" 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 3" 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 Spencer, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Ripley, WV — 19 mi; 2 — Glenville, WV — 30 mi; 3 — near Charleston, WV — 32 mi; 4 — Gassaway, WV — 33 mi; 5 — Parkersburg, WV — 35 mi.OHKYVA25 mi · 40 km1. Ripley, WV — 19 mi12. Glenville, WV — 30 mi23. near Charleston, WV — 32 mi34. Gassaway, WV — 33 mi45. Parkersburg, WV — 35 mi5
  1. Ripley, WV 19 mi (31 km)
  2. Glenville, WV 30 mi (48 km)
  3. near Charleston, WV 32 mi (51 km)
  4. Gassaway, WV 33 mi (53 km)
  5. Parkersburg, WV 35 mi (56 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: 38.8008, -81.3583.