When does the first freeze of the fall season normally occur?
A temperature of 32 degrees fahrenheit has officially been recorded
as early as Sep 28th at Cincinnati...Sep 21st in Columbus and Dayton.
However...elements such as topography...urban and rural setting and
placement of recording instrument can create wide variations in
temperatures across an area.
National Weather Service temperatures are officially taken at an
elevation of five feet above the ground...but the temperature at
ground level may be colder. On typical fall nights when frost
occurs...the temperature at the five foot level may read 36 degrees
while at the ground level it is actually the 32 degrees needed to
form frost.
The following reference table will give an idea as to when the first
freezing temperatures might occur...based on the latest 30 years of
climatological data available at each of the listed locations. A
graphical presentation of the average first freeze date and the
termination of the frost/freeze headlines for the season will be
available on our website at
www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/iln/.
Location avg date first first 32f in one first 32f in nine
32f in fall year out of ten years out of ten
(10% probability) (90% likelihood)
..southwest Ohio
Cincinnati Oct 23 Oct 9 Nov 6
Dayton Oct 19 Oct 3 Nov 4
Hillsboro Oct 24 Oct 7 Nov 9
Milford Oct 13 Sep 28 Oct 29
Wilmington Oct 13 Sep 28 Oct 27
Xenia Oct 11 Sep 26 Oct 27
..central Ohio
Circleville Oct 19 Oct 2 Nov 4
Columbus Oct 20 Oct 6 Nov 3
Delaware Oct 9 Sep 27 Oct 22
London Oct 8 Sep 25 Oct 21
Marysville Oct 16 Sep 28 Nov 3
Newark Oct 11 Sep 27 Oct 26
Washington c.H. Oct 19 Oct 4 Nov 3
..west central Ohio
Bellefontaine Oct 11 Sep 27 Oct 25
Greenville Oct 8 Sep 25 Oct 22
Kenton Oct 13 Sep 26 Oct 30
Springfield Oct 10 Sep 29 Oct 20
Urbana Oct 11 Sep 25 Oct 28
..south central Ohio
Portsmouth Oct 17 Sep 28 Nov 4
Waverly Oct 9 Sep 25 Nov 9
..Kentucky
Carrollton Oct 20 Oct 8 Nov 1
Covington Oct 17 Oct 5 Oct 30
Maysville Oct 20 Oct 7 Nov 3
Warsaw Oct 17 Oct 3 Oct 30
Williamstown Oct 21 Oct 6 Nov 4
..Indiana
Richmond Oct 12 Sep 29 Oct 24
Vevay Oct 24 Oct 9 Nov 8
