Frost dates in Springfield, Missouri
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 April 4, and the average first fall frost is October 27, from NOAA's Springfield Wbo station, 1 mile from the middle of Springfield. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 20, and the first one by October 15. That leaves about 206 frost-free days. Springfield is in USDA planting zone 7a.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Wbo 1 mi away, 1,325 ft | April 4 1 in 10 after April 20 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 15 | 206 days |
| Springfield 7 mi away, 1,278 ft | April 9 1 in 10 after April 27 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 14 | 201 days |
| Ozark 13 mi away, 1,134 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after April 30 | October 23 1 in 10 by October 10 | 191 days |
| Ash Grove 4S 17 mi away, 1,129 ft | April 11 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 24 1 in 10 by October 13 | 196 days |
| Billings 1SW 18 mi away, 1,310 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after May 2 | October 23 1 in 10 by October 11 | 191 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 65897, 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 Missouri, station by station.
Other Missouri cities: Kansas City · St. Louis
Nearby: Overland Park, KS · Olathe, KS · Kansas City, KS
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