USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 45387 — Yellow Springs, Ohio
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from New Carlisle, OH (874 ft), 12 miles northwest.
Updated
In Yellow Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 24 in half of years and has passed by May 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 17, as early as October 4 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 173 days (NOAA, New Carlisle, OH).
- Last spring frost
- April 24
- First fall frost
- October 17
- Growing season
- 173 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
- December 9
- Last snow
- March 10
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 18.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
21 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Yellow Springs
Half of springs at New Carlisle, 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 10. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 53% of the 148 Ohio stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 173 days in a typical year, shorter than at 75% of the 148 Ohio stations; it reaches 192 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 129 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 10 days longer, to about May 4, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 3 and March 12.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 4 | May 7 | May 10 | May 15 | May 21 |
| 32°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 5 | May 10 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 28 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 14 |
| 20°F | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 16°F | Feb 21 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 23 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 |
| 32°F | Oct 4 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 |
| 28°F | Oct 13 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 24°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 |
| 20°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 12 |
| 16°F | Nov 14 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 | Dec 25 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at New Carlisle, 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 45387 →Compare Yellow Springs with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Springfield Wtp, OH, 13 miles north of Yellow Springs, has a last frost 1 day later (April 25), a first frost 2 days later (October 19), a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Yellow Springs, Ohio
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Yellow Springs usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around March 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at New Carlisle, OH, 11.9 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 45 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 45387
| 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 25 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 3 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 17 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 45387 is 12 miles from New Carlisle, OH, which stands at 874 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 45324 (Fairborn). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 45387 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.