Frost dates in Atlanta, Georgia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Atlanta is March 24, and the average first fall frost is November 8, from NOAA's Atlanta Fulton Co Airport station, 6 miles from the middle of Atlanta. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 10, and the first one by October 27. That leaves about 229 frost-free days. Atlanta is in USDA planting zone 8a.
Weather stations around Atlanta
The first row is the date most people in Atlanta go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Fulton Co Airport 6 mi away, 840 ft | March 24 1 in 10 after April 10 | November 8 1 in 10 by October 27 | 229 days |
| Atlanta Hartsfield Intl Airport 9 mi away, 1,010 ft | March 15 1 in 10 after April 4 | November 20 1 in 10 by November 4 | 250 days |
| Atlanta Peachtree Airport 10 mi away, 1,002 ft | March 25 1 in 10 after April 12 | November 9 1 in 10 by October 26 | 229 days |
| Mableton 1 N 11 mi away, 980 ft | March 27 1 in 10 after April 12 | November 7 1 in 10 by October 27 | 225 days |
| Jonesboro 16 mi away, 930 ft | March 25 1 in 10 after April 10 | November 12 1 in 10 by October 31 | 232 days |
Distances are from the middle of Atlanta as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 30314, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Atlanta covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Georgia, station by station.
Other Georgia cities: Columbus · Augusta · Macon · Savannah
Nearby: Chattanooga, TN · Birmingham, AL
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer