U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00094830 · Ohio

Frost Dates near Toledo, OH

NOAA weather station Toledo Express Airport (USW00094830), Ohio · elevation 669 ft (204 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Toledo is the nearest town to the station (13.7 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 May 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2250% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season188 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Toledo, OHSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 8 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 24Frost season near Toledo, OHSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 22 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 24 in half of the years, before November 8 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 188 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 22First frost ~Oct 24
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)May 7October 11
50% (typical)April 22October 24
90% (likely)April 6November 8
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
188 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 8
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 20 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (2 days later). Frost-free season 187 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 Toledo: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 7, 20% May 3, 30% April 29, 40% April 25, 50% April 22, 60% April 18, 70% April 15, 80% April 11, 90% April 6. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 1, 2022 April 28, 2023 April 27, 2024 April 25, 2025 April 17, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 7Apr 22Apr 62021: May 12022: April 282023: April 272024: April 252025: April 172026: May 3Fall near Toledo: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 16, 30% October 20, 40% October 22, 50% October 24, 60% October 27, 70% October 30, 80% November 2, 90% November 8. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 November 13, 2023 October 23, 2025 October 25.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 24Nov 82021: November 32022: November 132023: October 232025: October 25
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 1November 3
2022April 28November 13
2023April 27October 23
2024April 25incomplete record
2025April 17October 25
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 188 days between the 32°F 50% dates, April 22 and October 24, frame the growing window for tender crops in the Toledo area. These median dates mark the point at which a light frost has an equal 50 % chance of occurring, so they are not frost dates themselves but indicate the middle of the historical frost probability range over the 30-year record.

For a cautious spring planting plan, the date to aim for is May 7, when only a 10 % chance remains of a light frost later that day; planting on April 6 would be a gamble with a 90 % chance of frost. In the fall, October 11 serves as the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops, because there is only a 10 % chance a light frost has already arrived, whereas November 8 would be a gamble with a 90 % chance of frost already occurring. Hard frost at 28°F, with median dates of April 8 and November 4, 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 May 7" 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 Toledo, OHNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Bowling Green, OH — 17 mi; 2 — Wauseon, OH — 18 mi; 3 — Adrian, MI — 25 mi; 4 — Defiance, OH — 37 mi; 5 — Findlay WPCC, OH — 38 mi.MIIN25 mi · 40 km1. Bowling Green, OH — 17 mi12. Wauseon, OH — 18 mi23. Adrian, MI — 25 mi34. Defiance, OH — 37 mi45. Findlay WPCC, OH — 38 mi5
  1. Bowling Green, OH 17 mi (28 km)
  2. Wauseon, OH 18 mi (30 km)
  3. Adrian, MI 25 mi (41 km)
  4. Defiance, OH 37 mi (60 km)
  5. Findlay WPCC, OH 38 mi (61 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: 41.5886, -83.8014.