Frost dates in Columbus, 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 Columbus is April 18, and the average first fall frost is October 27, from NOAA's Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport station, 6 miles from the middle of Columbus. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 5, and the first one by October 14. That leaves about 192 frost-free days. Columbus is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Columbus
The first row is the date most people in Columbus go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport 6 mi away, 810 ft | April 18 1 in 10 after May 5 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 14 | 192 days |
| Columbus Wcmh 3 mi away, 740 ft | April 20 1 in 10 after May 7 | October 24 1 in 10 by October 13 | 187 days |
| Columbus-Valley Crossing 7 mi away, 760 ft | April 23 1 in 10 after May 8 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 6 | 179 days |
| Columbus Ohio State Univ Airport 8 mi away, 905 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 9 | October 23 1 in 10 by October 9 | 184 days |
| Westerville 10 mi away, 802 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 10 | October 24 1 in 10 by October 10 | 185 days |
Distances are from the middle of Columbus 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 43201, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Columbus 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: Cleveland · Cincinnati · Toledo · Akron
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