Indiana frost dates
The typical last spring frost ranges from Apr 4 in Evansville to May 1 in South Bend.
6 of the 6 Indiana cities listed have typical frost dates. The longest frost-free season is 206 days in Evansville; the shortest is 170 days in South Bend. For a single address, look up your ZIP code: rural ZIPs use their nearest suitable station.
| City | Last spring frost | 1 in 10 after | First fall frost | 1 in 10 before | Hard freeze (28°F) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel | Apr 21 | May 8 | Oct 21 | Oct 6 | Apr 8 / Nov 1 | 183 days |
| Evansville | Apr 4 | Apr 19 | Oct 29 | Oct 17 | Mar 25 / Nov 8 | 206 days |
| Fishers | Apr 21 | May 8 | Oct 21 | Oct 6 | Apr 8 / Nov 1 | 183 days |
| Fort Wayne | Apr 24 | May 10 | Oct 21 | Oct 8 | Apr 12 / Nov 1 | 178 days |
| Indianapolis | Apr 15 | May 2 | Oct 26 | Oct 13 | Apr 4 / Nov 5 | 193 days |
| South Bend | May 1 | May 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 5 | Apr 19 / Oct 31 | 170 days |
Reading the table: Fishers
In Fishers, the last spring frost typically comes around Apr 21: in half of years it is earlier, in half later. In 1 year in 10 it comes after May 8, 17 days later, so tender plants set out after that date have a 90% chance of escaping frost. In fall, the first frost typically arrives around Oct 21, and in 1 year in 10 before Oct 6. Hard freezes (28°F) usually end earlier in spring and start later in fall: around Apr 8 and Nov 1 in Fishers.
Frost dates at more Indiana weather stations
NOAA stations across Indiana used by our ZIP code lookup, named for the town they are in.
| Station | Elevation | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Sewage Plt | 841 ft | Apr 19 (1 in 10 after May 5) | Oct 23 (before Oct 7) |
| Angola | 1,020 ft | Apr 30 (1 in 10 after May 15) | Oct 16 (before Oct 1) |
| Berne Wwtp | 839 ft | Apr 23 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 22 (before Oct 9) |
| Bloomington Indiana Univ | 830 ft | Apr 15 (1 in 10 after May 3) | Oct 26 (before Oct 11) |
| Boonville 1S | 400 ft | Apr 12 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Oct 25 (before Oct 12) |
| Brookville | 630 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 21 (before Oct 6) |
| Cambridge City 3 N | 1,000 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 10) | Oct 9 (before Sep 28) |
| Columbia City | 834 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 14) | Oct 17 (before Oct 1) |
| Columbus | 609 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 30) | Oct 25 (before Oct 12) |
| Crawfordsville 6 Se | 836 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 13) | Oct 12 (before Sep 26) |
| Dubois S In Forage Fm | 690 ft | Apr 25 (1 in 10 after May 12) | Oct 15 (before Oct 3) |
| English | 510 ft | Apr 17 (1 in 10 after May 4) | Oct 19 (before Oct 6) |
| Farmland 5 Nnw | 965 ft | Apr 25 (1 in 10 after May 11) | Oct 16 (before Oct 1) |
| Frankfort Disposal | 824 ft | Apr 21 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 21 (before Oct 6) |
| Garrett 1 S | 870 ft | May 2 (1 in 10 after May 16) | Oct 10 (before Sep 26) |
| Goshen 3SW | 875 ft | Apr 26 (1 in 10 after May 12) | Oct 21 (before Oct 6) |
| Goshen Muni Airport | 827 ft | Apr 28 (1 in 10 after May 13) | Oct 19 (before Oct 4) |
| Greencastle 1 W | 735 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 15) | Oct 15 (before Oct 1) |
| Greensburg | 937 ft | Apr 15 (1 in 10 after May 2) | Oct 26 (before Oct 12) |
| Hartford City 4 Ese | 924 ft | Apr 22 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 22 (before Oct 7) |
| Indiana Dunes Nl | 680 ft | Apr 22 (1 in 10 after May 8) | Oct 27 (before Oct 15) |
| Kokomo 3 Wsw | 822 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 13) | Oct 18 (before Oct 4) |
| Lafayette 8 S | 732 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 6) | Oct 20 (before Oct 4) |
| Lafayette Purdue Univ Airport | 599 ft | Apr 26 (1 in 10 after May 14) | Oct 18 (before Oct 4) |
| Lakeville | 841 ft | May 1 (1 in 10 after May 18) | Oct 13 (before Sep 30) |
| Laporte | 809 ft | Apr 19 (1 in 10 after May 3) | Oct 27 (before Oct 14) |
| Logansport Cicott St | 600 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 6) | Oct 23 (before Oct 11) |
| Lowell | 665 ft | Apr 29 (1 in 10 after May 14) | Oct 16 (before Oct 3) |
| Madison Sewage Plt | 460 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 28) | Oct 31 (before Oct 15) |
| Marion 2 N | 790 ft | Apr 26 (1 in 10 after May 12) | Oct 20 (before Oct 5) |
| Martinsville 2 Sw | 592 ft | Apr 24 (1 in 10 after May 11) | Oct 15 (before Oct 2) |
| Milan 5 Ne | 975 ft | Apr 30 (1 in 10 after May 15) | Oct 16 (before Oct 3) |
| Muncie Delaware Co Airport | 937 ft | Apr 16 (1 in 10 after May 2) | Oct 25 (before Oct 9) |
| N Manchester Wwtp | 760 ft | Apr 26 (1 in 10 after May 11) | Oct 19 (before Oct 5) |
| N Vernon 2 Ese | 743 ft | Apr 21 (1 in 10 after May 10) | Oct 21 (before Oct 7) |
| New Castle 3 Sw | 991 ft | Apr 27 (1 in 10 after May 12) | Oct 17 (before Oct 4) |
| Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm | 652 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 20 (before Oct 6) |
| Paoli | 560 ft | Apr 21 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 18 (before Oct 6) |
| Perrysville 4 Wnw | 611 ft | Apr 23 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 14 (before Sep 29) |
| Plymouth | 815 ft | Apr 25 (1 in 10 after May 13) | Oct 21 (before Oct 5) |
| Princeton 1 W | 480 ft | Apr 13 (1 in 10 after Apr 30) | Oct 25 (before Oct 10) |
| Rensselaer | 630 ft | Apr 23 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 18 (before Oct 4) |
| Richmond Wtr Wks | 1,005 ft | Apr 24 (1 in 10 after May 10) | Oct 20 (before Oct 7) |
| Rochester | 760 ft | Apr 23 (1 in 10 after May 9) | Oct 21 (before Oct 6) |
| Rockville | 689 ft | Apr 30 (1 in 10 after May 15) | Oct 12 (before Sep 30) |
| Rushville | 948 ft | Apr 19 (1 in 10 after May 5) | Oct 23 (before Oct 11) |
| Saint Meinrad | 510 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 30) | Oct 26 (before Oct 13) |
| Scottsburg | 570 ft | Apr 18 (1 in 10 after May 3) | Oct 20 (before Oct 6) |
| Shakamak Sp | 549 ft | Apr 14 (1 in 10 after May 1) | Oct 26 (before Oct 12) |
| Spencer | 549 ft | Apr 20 (1 in 10 after May 7) | Oct 20 (before Oct 7) |
| Stendal | 635 ft | Apr 6 (1 in 10 after Apr 23) | Oct 30 (before Oct 16) |
| Tell City | 390 ft | Apr 5 (1 in 10 after Apr 23) | Nov 1 (before Oct 18) |
| Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport | 575 ft | Apr 16 (1 in 10 after May 3) | Oct 18 (before Oct 4) |
| Terre Haute Indiana State | 507 ft | Apr 15 (1 in 10 after May 3) | Oct 19 (before Oct 4) |
| Tipton 5 Sw | 890 ft | Apr 23 (1 in 10 after May 9) | Oct 17 (before Oct 3) |
| Vincennes 5 Ne | 452 ft | Apr 11 (1 in 10 after Apr 27) | Oct 26 (before Oct 11) |
| W Lafayette 6 Nw | 708 ft | Apr 26 (1 in 10 after May 11) | Oct 12 (before Sep 27) |
| Wanatah 2 Wnw | 735 ft | Apr 29 (1 in 10 after May 14) | Oct 13 (before Oct 1) |
| Warsaw | 815 ft | Apr 28 (1 in 10 after May 14) | Oct 18 (before Oct 1) |
| Winamac 2SSE | 690 ft | Apr 25 (1 in 10 after May 11) | Oct 18 (before Oct 1) |
32°F dates from NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for each city's station. "1 in 10 after": a 10% chance of a later spring frost (planting is 90% safe after it). How to read frost dates.