Frost dates in Springfield, Massachusetts
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 Springfield is May 3, and the average first fall frost is October 8, from NOAA's Westfield Barnes Muni Airport station, 9 miles from the middle of Springfield. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 17, and the first one by September 26. That leaves about 158 frost-free days. Springfield is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Springfield
The first row is the date most people in Springfield go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Barnes Muni Airport 9 mi away, 271 ft | May 3 1 in 10 after May 17 | October 8 1 in 10 by September 26 | 158 days |
| Westfield 3 SW 14 mi away, 430 ft | April 28 1 in 10 after May 11 | October 17 1 in 10 by October 2 | 172 days |
| Hartford Bradley Intl Airport 14 mi away, 190 ft | April 21 1 in 10 after May 6 | October 16 1 in 10 by October 3 | 178 days |
| Belchertown 15 mi away, 550 ft | May 3 1 in 10 after May 16 | October 14 1 in 10 by October 1 | 164 days |
| Staffordville 16 mi away, 736 ft | May 7 1 in 10 after May 21 | October 12 1 in 10 by October 1 | 158 days |
Distances are from the middle of Springfield 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 01109, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Springfield 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 Massachusetts, station by station.
Other Massachusetts cities: Boston · Worcester
Nearby: Providence, RI · Bridgeport, CT
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