Frost dates in Akron, Ohio
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 Akron is April 24, and the average first fall frost is October 28, from NOAA's Akron Fulton Intl Airport station, 4 miles from the middle of Akron. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 9, and the first one by October 12. That leaves about 187 frost-free days. Akron is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Akron
The first row is the date most people in Akron go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron Fulton Intl Airport 4 mi away, 1,044 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 9 | October 28 1 in 10 by October 12 | 187 days |
| Stow 4 SE 5 mi away, 1,060 ft | April 30 1 in 10 after May 16 | October 21 1 in 10 by October 7 | 174 days |
| Akron Canton Rgnl Airport 12 mi away, 1,208 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 11 | October 26 1 in 10 by October 11 | 185 days |
| Ravenna 2 S 13 mi away, 1,107 ft | April 21 1 in 10 after May 7 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 14 | 191 days |
| Chippewa Lake 22 mi away, 1,180 ft | April 29 1 in 10 after May 15 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 5 | 173 days |
Distances are from the middle of Akron 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 44308, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Akron 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 Ohio, station by station.
Other Ohio cities: Columbus · Cleveland · Cincinnati · Toledo
Nearby: Pittsburgh, PA
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