Weather Explainers

Fall's First Freeze: Here's When It Typically Arrives

The first fall freeze ranges from September through November and depends on location and elevation. Here's when to expect the first freeze where you live.

Average date of the first fall freeze
(Data Source: NOAA)

The first fall freeze ranges from September through November for most of the U.S.

First Freeze

This is when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or lower for the first time in the colder months of the year. It signals the end of the growing season — the threshold when unprotected plants can become damaged when temperatures remain at or below freezing for multiple hours. Most vegetation is destroyed when temperatures reach 28 degrees or colder, which is called a hard freeze, according to NOAA.

Date Depends On Location and Elevation

The map above shows the average date of the first fall freeze, using the latest 30-year period data (1991-2020) from NOAA.

The first 32-degree low temperatures are usually experienced before or right around the time fall officially begins in the higher elevations of the West and near the Canadian border.

By the end of October, the average first freeze has occurred from much of the Northeast into the Midwest, down to the Tennessee Valley and back toward the Central Plains. First freezes are common in November from the coastal mid-Atlantic into much of the Deep South.

Urban Heat Island Effect, Oceans Play A Role

New York City and Washington, D.C., are examples of the urban heat island effect, which keeps the cities themselves warmer than nearby suburbs.

The warming influence of oceans and other bodies of water also skews the first freeze date later in these locales compared to their slightly inland suburbs.

First Freeze Can Vary Year To Year

Different weather patterns each year can make the first freeze occur earlier or later than the average shown for a given city or region. In fact, the earliest freeze on record for the selection of cities below occurred nearly a month or more before the average date.

Average date of the first freeze vs. earliest freeze on record for northern cities

Freezing Along The Gulf Coast, More Common Than You Think

Believe it or not, it is common for locations across the Southeast and Gulf Coast to see a freeze every year, it just typically happens a little bit later in the fall. As the jet stream shifts south during the winter months, cold fronts are pushed farther south as well, allowing the colder air to spill all the way down to the Gulf.

Average date of the first freeze vs. earliest freeze on record for southern cities

Florida is a completely different animal.

The weather in North Florida acts much differently compared to the weather in South Florida — almost like two different states.

Cities north of Orlando (Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee) have a much higher probability of seeing a freeze each year compared to cities farther south. I'm not saying it can't happen (looking at you Miami), but chances are extremely low. The last recorded freeze in Miami was on Christmas Day 1989.

Beware Of Frost, Too

A freeze is more threatening to plants, but frost can also damage vegetation. So don't ignore those frost advisories. Frost can form when temperatures are between 33 and 36 degrees.

Tiffany Savona is a meteorologist for weather.com with more than 15 years of experience in forecasting the weather across the country.