USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 44618 — Dalton, Ohio
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Wooster 3 SSE, OH (1,102 ft), 12 miles west.
Updated
In Dalton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 24 in half of years and has passed by May 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 21, as early as October 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 177 days (NOAA, Wooster 3 SSE, OH).
- Last spring frost
- April 24
- First fall frost
- October 21
- Growing season
- 177 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 27
- Last snow
- March 26
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 29.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
15 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Dalton
Half of springs at Wooster 3 SSE, OH see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 12 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 21 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 177 days in a typical year, shorter than at 61% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 197 days one year in ten and falls short of 155 one year in ten. On average 118 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 12 days longer, to about May 6, and return around October 8. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 9 and March 13.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 21 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 13 | May 17 | May 22 |
| 32°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 5 | May 12 |
| 28°F | Mar 29 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 |
| 20°F | Mar 5 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 |
| 16°F | Feb 22 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 25 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 |
| 32°F | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 3 |
| 28°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 |
| 20°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 |
| 16°F | Nov 20 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 17 | Dec 22 | Dec 26 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Wooster 3 SSE, OH, 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 44618 →Compare Dalton with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Wooster Wayne Co Airport, OH, 12 miles northwest of Dalton, has a last frost 5 days later (April 29), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 14), a season 10 days shorter.
When it snows in Dalton, Ohio
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dalton usually arrives around November 27, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Marshallville 1 SSW, OH, 7 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 29 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 44618
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 13 – February 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 27 – April 10 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 24 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 29 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 7 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 21 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 44618 is 12 miles from Wooster 3 SSE, OH, which stands at 1,102 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 44606 (Apple Creek). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 44618 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
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.