Frost dates in Memphis, 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 Memphis is March 16, and the average first fall frost is November 16, from NOAA's Memphis Intl Airport station, 4 miles from the middle of Memphis. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 4, and the first one by November 2. That leaves about 245 frost-free days. Memphis is in USDA planting zone 8a.
Weather stations around Memphis
The first row is the date most people in Memphis go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Intl Airport 4 mi away, 254 ft | March 16 1 in 10 after April 4 | November 16 1 in 10 by November 2 | 245 days |
| Memphis Wfo 9 mi away, 310 ft | March 29 1 in 10 after April 13 | November 5 1 in 10 by October 25 | 221 days |
| W Memphis 12 mi away, 215 ft | March 19 1 in 10 after April 7 | November 10 1 in 10 by October 28 | 236 days |
| Germantown 4SE 13 mi away, 320 ft | March 22 1 in 10 after April 9 | November 7 1 in 10 by October 26 | 230 days |
| Olive Branch 13 mi away, 385 ft | March 26 1 in 10 after April 11 | November 6 1 in 10 by October 25 | 225 days |
Distances are from the middle of Memphis 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 38114, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Memphis 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 · Knoxville · Chattanooga · Clarksville · Murfreesboro
Nearby: Little Rock, AR · Huntsville, AL
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