U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013995 · Missouri

Frost Dates for Springfield, MO

NOAA weather station Springfield (USW00013995), Missouri · elevation 1278 ft (390 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 27only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season199 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Springfield, MOSpring: a frost after March 26 in 9 years out of 10, after April 9 in half of the years, after April 27 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 9First frost ~Oct 27Frost season at Springfield, MOSpring: a frost after March 26 in 9 years out of 10, after April 9 in half of the years, after April 27 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 27 in half of the years, before November 9 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 9First frost ~Oct 27
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 27October 14
50% (typical)April 9October 27
90% (likely)March 26November 9
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
199 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 30
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 9 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27. Frost-free season 200 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 Springfield: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 27, 20% April 21, 30% April 16, 40% April 12, 50% April 9, 60% April 5, 70% April 1, 80% March 30, 90% March 26. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 April 23, 2024 March 28, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 17.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 27Apr 9Mar 262021: April 222022: April 192023: April 232024: March 282025: April 82026: March 17Fall at Springfield: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 14, 20% October 19, 30% October 22, 40% October 25, 50% October 27, 60% October 29, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 9. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 14Oct 27Nov 92021: November 42022: October 172023: October 302024: October 162025: November 2
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 4
2022April 19October 17
2023April 23October 30
2024March 28October 16
2025April 8November 2
2026March 17season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 14 marks the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in Springfield, indicating only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. By contrast, November 9 carries a 90% chance that a light frost will have arrived, making any tender crops left in the ground at that time a gamble.

The 50% light-frost dates, April 9 in spring and October 27 in fall, represent the median point where the odds of a frost are even; a gardener can use them as a neutral reference. For a cautious plan, tender crops are typically set out after the spring cautious date of April 27 (10% chance of a later frost) and removed by the fall cautious date of October 14. The 90% spring gamble date is March 26, and the 90% fall gamble date is November 9.

Hard-frost dates of March 30 and November 4 are noted because temperatures of 28 °F can damage plants more severely than the 32 °F light-frost threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 27" 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 14" 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 Springfield, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Billings, MO — 16 mi; 2 — Marshfield, MO — 24 mi; 3 — Bolivar, MO — 26 mi; 4 — near Stockton, MO — 38 mi; 5 — Monett, MO — 40 mi.KSOKAR25 mi · 40 km1. Billings, MO — 16 mi12. Marshfield, MO — 24 mi23. Bolivar, MO — 26 mi34. near Stockton, MO — 38 mi45. Monett, MO — 40 mi5
  1. Billings, MO 16 mi (25 km)
  2. Marshfield, MO 24 mi (38 km)
  3. Bolivar, MO 26 mi (42 km)
  4. near Stockton, MO 38 mi (61 km)
  5. Monett, MO 40 mi (65 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 37.2353, -93.4003.