Frost dates in Cleveland, 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 Cleveland is April 8, and the average first fall frost is November 12, from NOAA's Cleveland Burke Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Cleveland. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 20, and the first one by November 1. That leaves about 218 frost-free days. Cleveland is in USDA planting zone 7a.
Weather stations around Cleveland
The first row is the date most people in Cleveland go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Burke Airport 3 mi away, 584 ft | April 8 1 in 10 after April 20 | November 12 1 in 10 by November 1 | 218 days |
| Cleveland 10 mi away, 763 ft | April 20 1 in 10 after May 5 | November 3 1 in 10 by October 21 | 197 days |
| Elyria 3 E 21 mi away, 730 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 7 | November 1 1 in 10 by October 17 | 193 days |
| Kirtland-Holden 2 22 mi away, 1,030 ft | April 26 1 in 10 after May 14 | October 31 1 in 10 by October 15 | 188 days |
| Chardon 26 mi away, 1,130 ft | May 5 1 in 10 after May 21 | October 18 1 in 10 by October 2 | 166 days |
Distances are from the middle of Cleveland 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 44101, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Cleveland 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 · Cincinnati · Toledo · Akron
Nearby: Detroit, MI · 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