USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 37211 — Nashville, Tennessee
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Nashville International Airport, TN (600 ft), 3 miles northeast.
Updated
In Nashville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 31 in half of years and has passed by April 16 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 3, as early as October 22 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 217 days (NOAA, Nashville International Airport, TN).
- Last spring frost
- March 31
- First fall frost
- November 3
- Growing season
- 217 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 29
- Last snow
- February 25
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 4.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
29 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Nashville
Half of springs at Nashville International Airport, TN see their last 32°F night by March 31; only one in ten is past it by March 13, and one in ten still has one after April 16. Planting tender crops after April 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 9 20%, and after April 16 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 53% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 3 in half of years, as early as October 22 one year in ten, and holds off past November 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 4, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 217 days in a typical year, longer than at 85% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 241 days one year in ten and falls short of 197 one year in ten. On average 66 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about April 11, and return around October 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 95% of winters, usually between December 31 and February 5.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 27 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 28 |
| 32°F | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 16 |
| 28°F | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 24°F | Feb 13 | Feb 19 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 23 |
| 20°F | Jan 27 | Feb 3 | Feb 9 | Feb 14 | Feb 20 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 13 |
| 16°F95% of yrs | Jan 12 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 1 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 16 | Feb 23 | Mar 2 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 32°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 28°F | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 |
| 24°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 |
| 20°F | Nov 21 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 23 | Dec 30 | Jan 7 |
| 16°F95% of yrs | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 25 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Nashville International Airport, TN, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 37211 →Compare Nashville with another place →
Weather by month in Nashville
July is the warmest month at Nashville International Airport, TN, averaging 91°F by day and 71°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 30°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 49% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 5,082 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 92% of the 144 Tennessee stations. 39% of them (1,978) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 952. Precipitation totals 50.6 inches a year, most in May (5.0") and least in October (3.4"); May to September bring 42% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 4.0 | 100% | 19 | 31 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 4.5 | 100% | 14 | 47 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | 96% | 7 | 149 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 49% | 1 | 339 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.0 | 0% | 0 | 600 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 0% | 0 | 811 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 952 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 921 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 0% | 0 | 693 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.4 | 37% | 1 | 374 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 3.9 | 96% | 8 | 119 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 4.4 | 100% | 16 | 46 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Nashville International Airport, TN (600 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Nashville Berry Field, TN, 4 miles northeast of Nashville, has a last frost 4 days later (April 4), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 31), a season 8 days shorter.
When it snows in Nashville, Tennessee
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Nashville usually arrives around December 29, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Nashville International Airport, TN, 3.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 34 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 37211
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 20 – February 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 3 – February 17 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 3 – March 17 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 31 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 11 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 20 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 3 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 37211 is 3 miles from Nashville International Airport, TN, which stands at 600 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 37211 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across Tennessee →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.