Frost dates / Ohio / Columbus
Frost dates in Columbus, OH
The station on this page is COLUMBUS WCMH, OH US (USC00331785), 3.6 miles from the city point. Population in the Census 2024 estimate is 933,263.
Zone 6bUSDA average annual extreme minimum -5°F to 0°F, from ZIP 43201 (1 miles from the city point used on this page).
Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%
Last 32°F in spring
NCEI’s probability is the chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after the date.
| Probability | Date | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 90% | April 5 | Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common. |
| 50% | April 20 | Median. |
| 10% | May 7 | Later date. A last 32°F on or after this day is uncommon. |
First 32°F in fall
NCEI’s probability is the chance the first autumn minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or before the date.
| Probability | Date | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | October 13 | Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon. |
| 50% | October 24 | Median. |
| 90% | November 4 | Later date. A first 32°F on or before this day is common. |
32°F growing-season length
Days between the last spring 32°F and the first autumn 32°F. The figure is a length the season meets or exceeds at that probability, from NCEI, not a subtraction done on this site.
| Probability the season is at least this long | Days |
|---|---|
| 10% | 203 |
| 50% | 185 |
| 90% | 164 |
28°F threshold
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last, on or after | April 25 | April 8 | March 24 |
| First, on or before | October 22 | November 3 | November 16 |
| Season at least | 229 days | 209 days | 189 days |
36°F threshold
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last, on or after | May 19 | April 30 | April 17 |
| First, on or before | September 29 | October 13 | October 25 |
| Season at least | 182 days | 164 days | 144 days |
Station COLUMBUS WCMH, OH US (USC00331785). Completeness flag R, 10 years used for the 32°F dates. NCEI’s annual probability of at least one day at or below 32°F is 100%. Freeze dates are conditional on that threshold occurring. Elevation 225.6 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.
Planting calendar for Columbus · Zone 6b
Check a crop against this station
Columbus, OH
Zone 6bAverage annual extreme minimum -5°F to 0°F
Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%
Ohio. Nearest qualified station: COLUMBUS WCMH, OH US (USC00331785), 3.6 miles. Median last 32°F April 20. Median first 32°F October 24. The 50% growing-season length is 185 days.
Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for Ohio
32°F probabilities at this station
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last 32°F on or after | May 7 | April 20 | April 5 |
| First 32°F on or before | October 13 | October 24 | November 4 |
Column order matches the NCEI file: for the last freeze, 10% is the later date and 90% is the earlier date. How to read the probabilities.
Planting calendar
Windows below are from Ohio State University Extension, Planning for the Garden, excerpted from OSU Extension Bulletin 287, Home Vegetable Gardening, retrieved 2026-10-10. The dates are for a normal season in central Ohio. The same page says spring planting runs about two weeks earlier in southern Ohio and about two weeks later in northern Ohio. Those shifts are a sentence, not a second column, so the dates below stay the central Ohio dates. The PDF says the tables are excerpted from Bulletin 287 by Utzinger, Brooks and Wittmeyer, 1991, now out of print.
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