Frost dates in Lexington, Kentucky
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 Lexington is April 13, and the average first fall frost is October 28, from NOAA's Lexington Bluegrass Airport station, 8 miles from the middle of Lexington. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 1, and the first one by October 16. That leaves about 198 frost-free days. Lexington is in USDA planting zone 7a.
Weather stations around Lexington
The first row is the date most people in Lexington go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Bluegrass Airport 8 mi away, 980 ft | April 13 1 in 10 after May 1 | October 28 1 in 10 by October 16 | 198 days |
| Versailles 3 NNW 16 mi away, 891 ft | April 12 1 in 10 after May 2 | October 28 1 in 10 by October 15 | 199 days |
| Eastern Kentucky Univ 21 mi away, 1,000 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after April 30 | October 22 1 in 10 by October 10 | 190 days |
| Dix Dam 22 mi away, 870 ft | April 7 1 in 10 after April 24 | November 1 1 in 10 by October 20 | 208 days |
| Cynthiana 25 mi away, 700 ft | April 18 1 in 10 after May 5 | October 23 1 in 10 by October 13 | 188 days |
Distances are from the middle of Lexington 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 40505, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Lexington 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 Kentucky, station by station.
Other Kentucky cities: Louisville
Nearby: Cincinnati, OH · Knoxville, TN · Indianapolis, IN
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