Last frost dates in Massachusetts
69 NOAA weather stations in Massachusetts have thirty years of frost records. The median station sees its last 32 °F night around Apr 27; across the state that ranges from Apr 4 to May 17, so pick the station nearest you rather than a state-wide figure.
| Plan sowing from this date | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOSTON LOGAN INTL AP | Apr 4 | Apr 17 | Mar 25 | Nov 9 | 218 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| CHATHAM | Apr 5 | Apr 18 | Mar 27 | Nov 15 | 221 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NEW BEDFORD COOP | Apr 11 | Apr 22 | Mar 30 | Nov 5 | 208 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WOODS HOLE GOLF CLUB | Apr 11 | Apr 24 | Mar 31 | Nov 11 | 213 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| CHATHAM MUNI AP | Apr 13 | Apr 26 | Apr 1 | Nov 4 | 206 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| LAWRENCE | Apr 13 | Apr 29 | Apr 1 | Oct 28 | 198 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NANTUCKET MEM AP | Apr 13 | Apr 27 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | 208 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| W HARWICH | Apr 13 | Apr 26 | Apr 2 | Nov 3 | 204 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| PLYMOUTH-KINGSTON | Apr 15 | Apr 28 | Apr 2 | Nov 1 | 198 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| HYANNIS | Apr 16 | Apr 30 | Apr 5 | Oct 30 | 195 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| EDGARTOWN | Apr 17 | May 3 | Apr 4 | Nov 3 | 199 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BLUE HILL COOP | Apr 18 | Apr 30 | Apr 7 | Oct 26 | 190 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BLUE HILL | Apr 19 | May 1 | Apr 8 | Oct 24 | 187 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| JAMAICA PLAIN | Apr 19 | May 3 | Apr 6 | Oct 23 | 185 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| E WAREHAM | Apr 21 | May 3 | Apr 7 | Oct 24 | 186 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| LAWRENCE MUNI AP | Apr 21 | May 1 | Apr 9 | Oct 21 | 182 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BROCKTON | Apr 22 | May 5 | Apr 8 | Oct 19 | 178 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| HYANNIS BARNSTABLE MUNI AP | Apr 22 | May 5 | Apr 9 | Oct 28 | 188 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| TAUNTON | Apr 22 | May 6 | Apr 10 | Oct 19 | 179 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| MIDDLEBORO | Apr 23 | May 6 | Apr 12 | Oct 16 | 174 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NWS BOSTON/NORTON | Apr 23 | May 5 | Apr 10 | Oct 17 | 177 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| ROCHESTER | Apr 23 | May 7 | Apr 10 | Oct 21 | 180 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WORCESTER RGNL AP | Apr 23 | May 5 | Apr 11 | Oct 21 | 181 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BEVERLY MUNI AP | Apr 24 | May 6 | Apr 11 | Oct 17 | 177 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| HINGHAM | Apr 25 | May 8 | Apr 13 | Oct 22 | 177 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| MARBLEHEAD | Apr 25 | May 13 | Apr 12 | Oct 20 | 176 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NORWOOD MEM AP | Apr 25 | May 11 | Apr 9 | Oct 9 | 167 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| READING | Apr 25 | May 8 | Apr 13 | Oct 17 | 174 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| SOUTHBRIDGE 3 SW | Apr 25 | May 8 | Apr 14 | Oct 13 | 168 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| TULLY LAKE | Apr 25 | May 8 | Apr 13 | Oct 17 | 175 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| E SANDWICH | Apr 26 | May 9 | Apr 15 | Oct 26 | 180 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NATICK | Apr 26 | May 9 | Apr 14 | Oct 12 | 169 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BEDFORD | Apr 27 | May 11 | Apr 13 | Oct 13 | 169 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NORTON W | Apr 27 | May 10 | Apr 14 | Oct 15 | 168 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WALPOLE 2 | Apr 27 | May 11 | Apr 15 | Oct 14 | 169 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BEDFORD HANSCOM FLD | Apr 28 | May 12 | Apr 13 | Oct 10 | 165 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| E BRIMFIELD LAKE | Apr 28 | May 17 | Apr 14 | Oct 15 | 169 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WESTFIELD 3 SW | Apr 28 | May 11 | Apr 15 | Oct 17 | 171 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| FITCHBURG MUNI AP | Apr 29 | May 13 | Apr 19 | Oct 11 | 164 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NEW BEDFORD MUNI AP | Apr 29 | May 15 | Apr 17 | Oct 15 | 167 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| LOWELL | Apr 30 | May 10 | Apr 19 | Oct 10 | 164 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| PLYMOUTH MUNI AP | Apr 30 | May 12 | Apr 19 | Oct 16 | 170 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WEST MEDWAY | Apr 30 | May 14 | Apr 17 | Oct 9 | 162 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BRIDGEWATER | May 1 | May 15 | Apr 20 | Oct 9 | 161 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BUFFUMVILLE LAKE | May 1 | May 13 | Apr 21 | Oct 10 | 162 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| FITCHBURG COOP | May 1 | May 14 | Apr 19 | Oct 9 | 162 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| GREENFIELD #3 | May 1 | May 15 | Apr 19 | Oct 11 | 162 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| HAVERHILL | May 1 | May 14 | Apr 20 | Oct 12 | 163 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| ASHBURNHAM | May 2 | May 16 | Apr 19 | Oct 13 | 163 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| LEVERETT #2 | May 2 | May 16 | Apr 21 | Oct 9 | 160 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| MAYNARD 2 | May 2 | May 16 | Apr 22 | Oct 6 | 156 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| TAUNTON MUNI AP | May 2 | May 16 | Apr 19 | Oct 8 | 158 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BELCHERTOWN | May 3 | May 16 | Apr 21 | Oct 14 | 164 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| GROVELAND | May 3 | May 17 | Apr 22 | Oct 8 | 158 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| MIDDLETON | May 3 | May 20 | Apr 20 | Oct 9 | 157 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WESTFIELD BARNES MUNI AP | May 3 | May 17 | Apr 20 | Oct 8 | 158 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BEVERLY | May 4 | May 17 | Apr 24 | Oct 12 | 160 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| ORANGE MUNI AP | May 4 | May 17 | Apr 23 | Oct 8 | 157 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| AMHERST | May 5 | May 19 | Apr 23 | Oct 8 | 156 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| ASHBURNHAM N | May 5 | May 19 | Apr 25 | Oct 7 | 152 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| PITTSFIELD MUNI AP | May 5 | May 21 | Apr 23 | Oct 5 | 152 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BIRCH HILL DAM | May 6 | May 19 | Apr 25 | Oct 1 | 148 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| LENOX DALE | May 7 | May 21 | Apr 26 | Oct 3 | 147 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| VINEYARD HAVEN AP | May 7 | May 27 | Apr 22 | Oct 9 | 156 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| NORTH ADAMS HARRIMAN AP | May 10 | May 25 | Apr 27 | Oct 4 | 147 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| BARRE FALLS DAM | May 12 | May 28 | Apr 27 | Oct 1 | 141 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| WORTHINGTON | May 13 | May 26 | Apr 29 | Oct 2 | 144 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| ROWE 3NE | May 14 | May 26 | Apr 30 | Oct 4 | 143 | Plan sowing from this date → |
| E HAWLEY | May 17 | May 30 | May 2 | Oct 1 | 136 | Plan sowing from this date → |
How to read the three dates
Average is the date by which, in half of the years between 1991 and 2020, the last 32 °F night had already happened. Safe is later: only one year in ten saw a frost after it, which is the date to transplant tomatoes and peppers, both killed by a single frost. Early is the risky end, with a frost after it in nine years out of ten.
Every figure is for the weather station, not for your garden. A valley bottom, a north slope or a spot near a lake can run a week or two either way. Cities are warmer than the countryside around them.
Where the numbers come from
The dates are NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991 to 2020, computed by the National Centers for Environmental Information for every station with thirty years of daily minimum temperatures. ZIP codes are matched to the nearest such station within 150 km using U.S. Census Bureau ZIP Code Tabulation Area centroids. Stations that never see a frost, such as much of south Florida, report no date and are left out.