Frost dates in Fort Wayne, Indiana

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 Fort Wayne is April 24, and the average first fall frost is October 21, from NOAA's Ft Wayne Intl Airport station, 9 miles from the middle of Fort Wayne. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 10, and the first one by October 8. That leaves about 180 frost-free days. Fort Wayne is in USDA planting zone 6a.

Weather stations around Fort Wayne

The first row is the date most people in Fort Wayne go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Ft Wayne Intl Airport 9 mi away, 791 ft	April 24 1 in 10 after May 10	October 21 1 in 10 by October 8	180 days
Woodburn 3N 16 mi away, 710 ft	April 27 1 in 10 after May 11	October 19 1 in 10 by October 4	175 days
Garrett 1 S 17 mi away, 870 ft	May 2 1 in 10 after May 16	October 10 1 in 10 by September 26	161 days
Garrett 18 mi away, 880 ft	April 29 1 in 10 after May 11	October 17 1 in 10 by October 4	171 days
Columbia City 18 mi away, 834 ft	April 27 1 in 10 after May 14	October 17 1 in 10 by October 1	173 days

Distances are from the middle of Fort Wayne 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 46805, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Fort Wayne 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 Indiana, station by station.

Other Indiana cities: Indianapolis

Nearby: Toledo, OH · Grand Rapids, MI · Columbus, OH