Indianapolis, IN 46253 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Indianapolis, IN, ZIP 46253
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/20, about 235 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 183 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Indianapolis in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6b around Indianapolis has about 8 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.
The actual range around Indianapolis's last frost
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Indianapolis compares
About 183 days separate Indianapolis's last and first frost, putting it 23,713 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IN, it ranks 405 of 927.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Indianapolis can differ from the 46253 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Indianapolis's frost date answer different questions.