Frost dates in Birmingham: last spring frost and first autumn frost
When is it safe to plant out in Birmingham, and when does the first frost come? Dates from 45 years of nightly minimum temperatures (1981–2025), with how early or late they can fall.
Frost dates in Birmingham and how sure they are
| Early year (1 in 10) | Typical (median) | Late year (1 in 10) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last spring frost | 3 April | 22 April | 10 May |
| First autumn frost | 23 October | 9 November | 29 November |
In a typical year the last frost in Birmingham falls around 22 April and the first one around 9 November, leaving about 197 frost-free days (between 174 and 234 in 8 years out of 10). To be safe, plant tender crops after 10 May: by then the last frost has passed in 9 years out of 10. Bring them in before 23 October: in 1 year in 10 the first frost comes earlier.
Frost month by month in Birmingham
| Month | Average low | Coldest night (avg) | Record low | Frost nights | Years with frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.7 °C | -4.3 °C | -12.3 °C | 13.2 | 100% |
| February | 0.7 °C | -4.1 °C | -11 °C | 11.6 | 100% |
| March | 2 °C | -3 °C | -6.5 °C | 8.3 | 98% |
| April | 3.3 °C | -1.9 °C | -4.2 °C | 4.2 | 89% |
| May | 6.3 °C | 1.3 °C | -2.1 °C | 0.4 | 22% |
| June | 9.2 °C | 5 °C | 2.1 °C | 0 | 0% |
| July | 11.2 °C | 7.6 °C | 5.2 °C | 0 | 0% |
| August | 11.1 °C | 7.2 °C | 5.4 °C | 0 | 0% |
| September | 9.1 °C | 4.8 °C | 1.9 °C | 0 | 0% |
| October | 6.6 °C | 1.1 °C | -4.1 °C | 0.7 | 29% |
| November | 3.6 °C | -1.7 °C | -5.2 °C | 4.4 | 82% |
| December | 1.8 °C | -3.4 °C | -10.1 °C | 9.4 | 91% |
Frost here means a night minimum at or below 0 °C at 2 m. Frost nights is the average count per month; years with frost is how many years had at least one.
Frost alerts for your garden or field
LayEarth Business Agro sends an alert when the forecast low at your saved site drops below your threshold (0 °C by default), with frost risk, hours below zero and white or black frost for each forecast day. LayEarth Pro, from 9 USD a month, adds alerts for the places you follow.
Temperature map around Birmingham
The live temperature layer of the map (NOAA GFS forecast): watch the cold nights coming hour by hour.
More for Birmingham
Will it rain today in Birmingham? · Open the temperature map on Birmingham
Questions
- When is the last frost in Birmingham?
- On average around 22 April. In an early year the last frost comes by 3 April, in a late one (1 year in 10) after 10 May.
- When is the first frost in Birmingham?
- On average around 9 November. In 1 year in 10 it comes before 23 October, in a mild year not until 29 November.
- How long is the growing season in Birmingham?
- About 197 frost-free days between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost, from 174 in a short year to 234 in a long one.
- When can I plant tomatoes in Birmingham?
- Frost-tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and courgettes go out after the last frost: after 10 May the risk is down to 1 year in 10. Hardy crops can go earlier.
- How cold does it get in Birmingham?
- The coldest night of winter averages -5.6 °C; the lowest since 1981 was -12.3 °C in 1982.
Frost dates nearby
Manchester · Bristol · London · Edinburgh · Glasgow · Antwerp
How these dates are computed
Daily minimum temperature at 2 m from NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis, public domain), 1981–2025, corrected from the ~50 km grid to the real altitude of Birmingham (6.5 °C per km). For each year: the last night at or below 0 °C before midsummer and the first one after it; the dates are the median and the 10% / 90% of those years. A garden in a frost pocket or a city centre can differ by days. Live temperatures: the temperature layer of the map.