Season, sun & temps
When is my first fall frost?
The median first 32F freeze for your ZIP, from the NOAA 1991-2020 normals, and how many days you have left.
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How this works
The median date of the first autumn 32 °F freeze, from the NOAA 1991–2020 normals — resolved to your corner of the state for Missouri and its eight neighbours, and to a state typical everywhere else. Where sources disagreed the EARLIER date won: a frost that arrives before it was promised kills the plants. The spring end comes from the same ZIP, so the season line is real; <a href="#when-to-plant">09, When do I plant?</a> works that end in detail. Know your own dates? The second tab takes both.
Questions people ask
Is the first frost date a guarantee?
No. It is the median, so roughly half of years frost earlier. Treat it as the date to have cover ready, not the date to start worrying.
What is the difference between a frost and a freeze?
Frost forms on surfaces near 36F on a still clear night; a freeze is air at 32F or below. Tender crops die at the freeze, but frost alone will finish basil.
Does my yard match the ZIP code figure?
Roughly. Low ground, open sky and no windbreak all frost earlier, sometimes by a week or two against a sheltered south wall a hundred feet away.