Frost dates in Cincinnati, 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 Cincinnati is April 16, and the average first fall frost is October 25, from NOAA's Cincinnati Lunken Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Cincinnati. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 3, and the first one by October 12. That leaves about 192 frost-free days. Cincinnati is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Cincinnati
The first row is the date most people in Cincinnati go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Lunken Airport 5 mi away, 490 ft | April 16 1 in 10 after May 3 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 12 | 192 days |
| Cheviot 6 mi away, 891 ft | April 17 1 in 10 after May 5 | October 26 1 in 10 by October 11 | 192 days |
| Cheviot 3 W 9 mi away, 853 ft | April 16 1 in 10 after May 3 | October 28 1 in 10 by October 14 | 195 days |
| Cincinnati-Fernbank 10 mi away, 500 ft | April 13 1 in 10 after May 2 | October 31 1 in 10 by October 17 | 201 days |
| Cincinnati Northern Ky Airport 11 mi away, 869 ft | April 18 1 in 10 after May 7 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 12 | 190 days |
Distances are from the middle of Cincinnati 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 45267, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Cincinnati 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 · Toledo · Akron
Nearby: Lexington, KY · Louisville, KY · 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