USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 37601 — Johnson City, Tennessee
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Elizabethton, TN (1,487 ft), 5 miles east.
Updated
In Johnson City, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 19 in half of years and has passed by May 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 24, as early as October 10 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 187 days (NOAA, Elizabethton, TN).
- Last spring frost
- April 19
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 187 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 14
- Last snow
- February 22
- Winters with snow
- 84%
- Snow per year
- 6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
16 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Johnson City
Half of springs at Elizabethton, TN see their last 32°F night by April 19; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 67% of the 144 Tennessee stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 24 in half of years, as early as October 10 one year in ten, and holds off past November 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 144 Tennessee stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 164 one year in ten. On average 94 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 30, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 7 and February 23.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 15 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 7 | May 11 | May 17 |
| 32°F | Apr 2 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 7 |
| 28°F | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 2 | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 9 |
| 20°F | Feb 13 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 |
| 16°F | Jan 26 | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 11 | Mar 19 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 4 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 |
| 32°F | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 28°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 24°F | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 16 |
| 16°F | Nov 16 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 3 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Elizabethton, 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 37601 →Compare Johnson City with another place →
Weather by month in Johnson City
July is the warmest month at Elizabethton, TN, averaging 86°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 26°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 21% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,772 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 88% of the 144 Tennessee stations. 37% of them (1,404) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 759. Precipitation totals 48.2 inches a year, most in July (5.9") and least in October (2.8"); May to September bring 47% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 3.8 | 100% | 22 | 13 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 3.8 | 100% | 18 | 18 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 100% | 13 | 77 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 3.8 | 92% | 4 | 214 |
| May | 77 | 52 | 4.4 | 21% | <1 | 445 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 5.2 | 0% | 0 | 637 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 5.9 | 0% | 0 | 759 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 733 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 536 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 2.8 | 75% | 3 | 253 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 3.4 | 100% | 14 | 66 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 3.9 | 100% | 20 | 21 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Elizabethton, TN (1,487 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, Bristol Tri City Airport, TN, 10 miles north of Johnson City, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 16), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Johnson City, Tennessee
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Johnson City usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around February 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Elizabethton, TN, 5.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 84% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 56 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 37601
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 8 – February 22 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 22 – April 5 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 19 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 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 37601 is 5 miles from Elizabethton, TN, which stands at 1,487 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 37601 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.