Memphis, TN 38187 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Memphis, TN, ZIP 38187
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/16, about 200 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/16, about 244 frost-free days later.
Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Memphis, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8a around Memphis has about 11 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 03/16 isn't a guarantee
03/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/27 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Memphis compares
Memphis's growing season runs about 244 days, ranking 8,141 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TN, it ranks 47 of 770.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Memphis's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Memphis can differ from the 38187 normal.