NOAA 1991–2020 freeze normals
Frost Dates in Rhode Island
Last and first frost at the 9 NOAA stations behind this site's Rhode Island pages.
At the middle station of the 9 in Rhode Island where a freeze comes every year, the last spring frost (50%) is April 22 and the first fall frost October 20, a freeze-free season of 179 days. The last frost is earliest at Newport (Newport Rose, RI, April 7) and latest at Exeter (Kingston, RI, May 3), 26 days apart. The season runs from 159 days at Exeter to 216 at Newport.
5 of these stations were also in NOAA's previous normals, for 1981–2010. Between the two, the median station's freeze-free season grew 8 days longer, with the last spring frost 4 days earlier and the first fall frost 4 days later; the season lengthened at 5 stations and shortened at 0. The two periods share twenty years, so the change reflects mostly 2011–2020 against 1981–1990.
Rhode Island places by frost date
| Place | ZIP | Last frost | First frost | Season | Winters with 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pawtucket | 02860 | April 22 | October 19 | 179 d | 100% |
| Providence | 02909 | April 11 | October 30 | 199 d | 100% |
| Coventry | 02816 | April 22 | October 20 | 179 d | 100% |
| Newport | 02840 | April 7 | November 13 | 216 d | 100% |
| Wakefield | 02879 | May 1 | October 12 | 163 d | 100% |
| Westerly | 02891 | April 11 | October 31 | 201 d | 100% |
| Middletown | 02842 | April 11 | November 4 | 206 d | 100% |
| Saunderstown | 02874 | April 27 | October 15 | 171 d | 100% |
| Exeter | 02822 | May 3 | October 8 | 159 d | 100% |
50% dates from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one row per station; a state page is published when at least 5 stations stand behind its pages. Where a freeze comes in fewer than nine winters in ten, the dates describe the winters that have one.