USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 65802 — Springfield, Missouri
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Springfield Wbo, MO (1,325 ft), 1 miles southeast.
Updated
In Springfield, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 4 in half of years and has passed by April 20 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 27, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 204 days (NOAA, Springfield Wbo, MO).
- Last spring frost
- April 4
- First fall frost
- October 27
- Growing season
- 204 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 6
- Last snow
- March 9
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 13.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
29 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Springfield
Half of springs at Springfield Wbo, MO see their last 32°F night by April 4; only one in ten is past it by March 21, and one in ten still has one after April 20. Planting tender crops after April 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 15 20%, and after April 20 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 35% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 27 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 204 days in a typical year, longer than at 79% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 224 days one year in ten and falls short of 183 one year in ten. On average 89 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 13 days longer, to about April 17, and return around October 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 12 and February 23.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 2 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 2 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 |
| 28°F | Mar 8 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 24°F | Feb 25 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 2 |
| 20°F | Feb 14 | Feb 20 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 |
| 16°F | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 13 | Feb 19 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 15 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 5 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 |
| 28°F | Oct 23 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Nov 9 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 |
| 16°F | Nov 19 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 4 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Springfield Wbo, MO, 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 65802 →Compare Springfield with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Springfield, MO, 5 miles west of Springfield, has a last frost 5 days later (April 9), the same first-frost date, a season 5 days shorter.
When it snows in Springfield, Missouri
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Springfield usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Springfield, MO, 4.8 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 26 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 65802
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 24 – February 7 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 7 – February 21 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 7 – March 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 13 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 27 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 65802 is 1 mile from Springfield Wbo, MO, which stands at 1,325 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 7 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 65807 (Springfield). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65802 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°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.