Frost dates in Chattanooga, Tennessee

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 Chattanooga is March 24, and the average first fall frost is November 9, from NOAA's Chattanooga Lovell Airport station, 4 miles from the middle of Chattanooga. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 8, and the first one by October 27. That leaves about 230 frost-free days. Chattanooga is in USDA planting zone 8a.

Weather stations around Chattanooga

The first row is the date most people in Chattanooga go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Chattanooga Lovell Airport 4 mi away, 671 ft	March 24 1 in 10 after April 8	November 9 1 in 10 by October 27	230 days
Lookout Mtn-Point Park 7 mi away, 2,110 ft	March 31 1 in 10 after April 18	November 6 1 in 10 by October 24	220 days
Chickamauga Pk Larc 10 mi away, 782 ft	April 6 1 in 10 after April 23	October 30 1 in 10 by October 17	207 days
Soddy Daisy-Mowbray Mtn 15 mi away, 1,700 ft	April 7 1 in 10 after April 28	October 29 1 in 10 by October 13	205 days
Chickamauga 2 SW 15 mi away, 799 ft	March 25 1 in 10 after April 11	November 9 1 in 10 by October 28	229 days

Distances are from the middle of Chattanooga 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 37406, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Chattanooga 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 Tennessee, station by station.

Other Tennessee cities: Nashville · Memphis · Knoxville · Clarksville · Murfreesboro

Nearby: Huntsville, AL · Atlanta, GA