Frost dates / By state
Frost dates in Hawaii
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Your own yard can run a little either side.
Short answer
At 10 of Hawaii's 11 NOAA weather stations, frost is too rare to put a date on. The exception is Mauna Loa 5 NNE, at 11,179 ft: average last spring frost April 12, first fall frost December 1. Planting zones near these stations run from 12a to 13a.
Hawaii cities
Find yours by ZIP code
The table below is by weather station. For the station nearest you, and your planting zone, type your ZIP code.
Hawaii frost dates by weather station
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free | Zone nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking Sands 13 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Ewa Kalaeloa Airport 54 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Hilo 5 S 622 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Hilo Intl Airport 38 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Honolulu Intl Airport 7 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Kahului Airport 51 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Kailua Kona Ke-Ahole Airport 43 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
| Kaneohe Bay MCAS 10 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 13a | ||
| Lihue WSO Airport 1020.1 100 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12a | ||
| Mauna Loa 5 NNE 11,179 ft | April 12 1 in 10 after May 18 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 9 | 233 days | – |
| Molokai Airport 443 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | 12b | ||
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. Stations are NOAA's main weather stations, mostly airports. “Zone nearby” is the USDA 2023 zone of the nearest ZIP code within 10 miles. NOAA counts the frost season from August to July, so in the warmest places the “first fall” freeze lands after New Year.
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.
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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)