USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 37221 — Nashville, Tennessee
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Warner Park, TN (625 ft), 2 miles east.
Updated
In Nashville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 6 in half of years and has passed by April 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 1, as early as October 19 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 208 days (NOAA, Warner Park, TN).
- Last spring frost
- April 6
- First fall frost
- November 1
- Growing season
- 208 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 Warner Park, TN see their last 32°F night by April 6; only one in ten is past it by March 19, and one in ten still has one after April 25. Planting tender crops after April 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 25 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 84% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 1 in half of years, as early as October 19 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 208 days in a typical year, longer than at 61% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 229 days one year in ten and falls short of 185 one year in ten. On average 85 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 14 days longer, to about April 20, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 99% of winters, usually between December 20 and February 14.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 2 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 7 |
| 32°F | Mar 19 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 | Apr 25 |
| 28°F | Mar 6 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 9 |
| 24°F | Feb 21 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 31 |
| 20°F | Feb 2 | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 23 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 18 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Jan 20 | Jan 30 | Feb 3 | Feb 9 | Feb 14 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 9 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 9 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 |
| 32°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 |
| 28°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 28 |
| 24°F | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 20°F | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | Dec 26 |
| 16°F99% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 3 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 16 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Warner Park, 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 37221 →Compare Nashville with another place →
Weather by month in Nashville
July is the warmest month at Warner Park, TN, averaging 87°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 28°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 65% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,474 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 52% of the 144 Tennessee stations. 38% of them (1,717) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 860.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 100% | 22 | 25 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 100% | 17 | 41 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 99% | 10 | 122 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 65% | 2 | 293 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 6% | 0 | 522 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 0% | 0 | 716 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 0% | 0 | 860 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 0% | 0 | 838 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 0% | 0 | 620 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 49% | 2 | 318 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 99% | 12 | 85 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 100% | 19 | 36 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Warner Park, TN (625 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, Franklin Sewage Plt, TN, 10 miles southeast of Nashville, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 3), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 31), a season 2 days longer.
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, 14.9 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 40 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 37221
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 26 – February 9 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 9 – February 23 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 9 – March 23 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 6 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 9 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 18 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 1 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 37221 is 2 miles from Warner Park, TN, which stands at 625 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 37221 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.