Weather Words: Final Frost

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is a word you may be familiar with. Final frost simply indicates when the last frost of the season takes place before temperatures above freezing are locked in.

However, the final frost date varies dramatically depending on where you live in the U.S. Some of the country’s southernmost areas will see their final frost by mid-January, while areas across the northern tier of the country won’t see their final frost until mid-May. For the vast majority of the country, you’ll need to wait until at least the beginning of April to start looking for that last frost, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

If you just can’t wait until after the final frost, there are some things you can plant before. Leafy greens, some root vegetables and other green veggies like broccoli and brussel sprouts can be planted before the final frost.

J​ennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.