U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00467018 · West Virginia

Frost Dates near Wheeling, WV

NOAA weather station Pike Island (Lock & Dam) (USC00467018), West Virginia · elevation 640 ft (195 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Wheeling is the nearest town to the station (5.9 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 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season196 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Wheeling, WVSpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 18 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 196 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Nov 1Frost season near Wheeling, WVSpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 18 in 1 year out of 10, before November 1 in half of the years, before November 13 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 196 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Nov 1
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 6October 18
50% (typical)April 18November 1
90% (likely)April 4November 13
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
196 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 5
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 10

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 16 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 2 (1 day later). Frost-free season 199 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 Wheeling: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 6, 20% April 29, 30% April 24, 40% April 21, 50% April 18, 60% April 16, 70% April 13, 80% April 9, 90% April 4. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2022 April 29, 2026 April 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 6Apr 18Apr 42022: April 292026: April 22Fall near Wheeling: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 18, 20% October 23, 30% October 27, 40% October 30, 50% November 1, 60% November 3, 70% November 5, 80% November 9, 90% November 13. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 15, 2025 November 8.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 18Nov 1Nov 132021: November 42022: October 152025: November 8
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
2021incomplete recordNovember 4
2022April 29October 15
2023incomplete recordincomplete record
2024incomplete recordincomplete record
2025incomplete recordNovember 8
2026April 22season not over yet

What these dates mean

In the Wheeling area there are 196 days between the two 32 °F 50% dates, a span that contains the planting and harvest window for most tender crops.

The median light-frost dates are April 18 in spring and November 1 in fall; each marks an even chance of a frost occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall). Gardeners who prefer low risk schedule the start of tender crops after the cautious spring date of May 6, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost, and aim to finish harvesting tender crops by the cautious fall date of October 18, which also carries only a 10 % chance of an earlier frost.

A hard frost at 28 °F, with its 50% dates of April 5 and November 10, can damage plants that survive a light frost, so it is a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 6" 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 18" 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 Wheeling, WVNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Steubenville, OH — 16 mi; 2 — Moundsville, WV — 17 mi; 3 — Waynesburg, PA — 33 mi; 4 — Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH — 34 mi; 5 — Pittsburgh, PA — 35 mi.OHPAWVMD25 mi · 40 km1. Steubenville, OH — 16 mi12. Moundsville, WV — 17 mi23. Waynesburg, PA — 33 mi34. Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH — 34 mi45. Pittsburgh, PA — 35 mi5
  1. Steubenville, OH 16 mi (26 km)
  2. Moundsville, WV 17 mi (27 km)
  3. Waynesburg, PA 33 mi (53 km)
  4. Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH 34 mi (55 km)
  5. Pittsburgh, PA 35 mi (56 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: 40.1478, -80.7014.