Frost dates in Providence, Rhode Island
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 Providence is April 11, and the average first fall frost is October 30, from NOAA's Providence T F Green Airport station, 7 miles from the middle of Providence. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 23, and the first one by October 16. That leaves about 202 frost-free days. Providence is in USDA planting zone 7a.
Weather stations around Providence
The first row is the date most people in Providence go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence T F Green Airport 7 mi away, 60 ft | April 11 1 in 10 after April 23 | October 30 1 in 10 by October 16 | 202 days |
| Woonsocket 12 mi away, 110 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 6 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 5 | 180 days |
| Coventry 2 13 mi away, 280 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 4 | October 20 1 in 10 by October 5 | 181 days |
| N Foster 1 E 16 mi away, 630 ft | April 25 1 in 10 after May 9 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 4 | 177 days |
| NWS Boston/Norton 17 mi away, 85 ft | April 23 1 in 10 after May 5 | October 17 1 in 10 by October 3 | 177 days |
Distances are from the middle of Providence 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 02903, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Providence 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 Rhode Island, station by station.
Nearby: Worcester, MA · Boston, MA · Springfield, MA
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