Memphis, TN Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

The last spring frost in Memphis, TN comes on March 16 in a typical year, and the first fall frost follows on November 16, leaving a frost-free season of 244 days.

Because half of all years do worse than the typical date, the dates that matter for tender plants are the late spring date, April 4, and the early fall date, November 2, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. Compared with the 100-city median of 229 days, Memphis gets 15 days extra before frost returns.

The numbers belong to Memphis International AP, NOAA station USW00013893, which sits 3.8 miles south of the Census Bureau's internal point for Memphis at an elevation of about 250 feet.

Last spring frost in Memphis

Read the table from the top: a freeze on or after April 4 is a one-in-ten spring, after March 16 is a coin toss, and after February 27 is the usual case.

Spring dates in Memphis spread over 36 days from the 90% date to the 10% date, close to the middle of the cities covered here.

First fall frost in Memphis

In Memphis the first freeze has arrived by November 2 in one fall out of ten, by November 16 in five, and by December 3 in nine.

The early and late fall dates are 31 days apart, a typical spread for the cities covered here.

Memphis's frost-free season

A little more room than the middle of these pages, then, but not a different kind of garden. A typical year gives 244 days; nine years in ten give at least 221 days, and one in ten reaches 266 days. The swing is 23 days between typical and short, about average for these pages.

The season lengths come from NOAA's simulated years, not from subtracting one typical date from the other, so the two will not match to the day. Every winter in the record reached freezing at Memphis International AP, so the dates above describe a real yearly event, not a rare one.

When a hard freeze reaches Memphis

Hard freezes trail the light ones by 12 days in fall (November 28 against November 16) and by 12 days in spring (March 4 against March 16). One spring in ten still has a 28°F night on or after March 23, and one fall in ten sees the first by November 10.

What this means for planting in Memphis

In Memphis the University of New Hampshire Extension count lands like this, measured from the typical last frost on March 16: lettuce from February 16 to February 23, cabbage on February 16, seed potatoes from March 2 to March 9, then peppers on March 30 and beans from March 16. The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet gives peas no frost count at all; sow them as soon as the soil thaws.

Counting from the late date, April 4, instead of the typical one delays every after-frost crop by 19 days. That is the price of a one-in-ten spring that most years will not need.

Memphis's first frost leaves room for only 32 of the 34 fall crops, counting back NC State Extension's days to harvest and University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days; for the other 2 the last planting day falls before July. Of the crops that fit, collard greens is the slowest: 118 days from planting to the early frost, which makes July 7 its last day.

Worked example: fall broccoli in Memphis

Take fall broccoli in Memphis. NC State Extension lists up to 80 days from transplant to harvest, and University of Georgia Extension adds a harvest allowance of 18 days, so the plants need 98 days before the first frost. Counting back from the typical first frost, November 16, the last planting day is August 10. Counting back from the early date, November 2, it is July 27.

The two answers are 14 days apart, a wide enough gap that the early date is the safer one to follow in Memphis.

In spring the same family goes in earlier: counting from March 16, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on February 16, weeks ahead of the last frost.

About the Memphis International AP station

3.8 miles south of the city's internal point, the station is close but not on top of Memphis.

At about 250 feet, it ranks above 25 and below 74 of the 100 stations used for these pages. In NOAA's file the record is marked S, meaning standard.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Memphis, we cannot say how far your yard is above or below this station. When yours is clearly higher or lower, open the nearby stations in the frost dates tool and favor the colder one.

Nearby cities and their frost dates

The nearest city on these pages is Little Rock, AR, 138 miles away, and the other two below are farther out, so these are regional comparisons, not neighbors.

• Little Rock, AR (138 miles, west): its last frost comes 5 days after Memphis's, and the frost-free season is 10 days shorter than Memphis's. Its typical dates are March 21 and November 10, with 234 days frost-free.
• Huntsville, AL lies 189 miles east of Memphis. Typical last frost March 24, first frost November 8, 229 days between; spring frost lingers 8 days longer than in Memphis, and the season runs 15 days shorter.
• Nashville, TN, 193 miles to the north-east: last frost April 1, first frost October 31, 213 days frost-free; its last frost comes 16 days after Memphis's, and the season runs 31 days shorter.

Next steps for Memphis gardeners

Start with the spring planting planner for the whole crop list counted from these dates, and the fall planting planner for the last planting days. The frost dates tool shows every level of risk at this station, and the hardiness zone lookup covers winter survival for shrubs and perennials.

All the cities on these pages are listed by state on the city frost dates index.

Where these numbers come from

The frost and freeze dates are NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), copied from the station's own record without adjustment; NOAA's documentation defines each probability. The city and its internal point come from the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer of places, and the ranking by size from the Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 city and town population estimates, which put Memphis at 610,919 people.

University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension supply the planting rules; this page only counts them from the station's dates. Our methodology describes the tests behind every number.

Frost dates are long-term odds, not a forecast. Before you plant, check the local forecast for the coming week, and keep row cover or old sheets handy for the nights the odds get wrong.