Frost dates in Salt Lake City: last spring frost and first autumn frost
When is it safe to plant out in Salt Lake City, 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 Salt Lake City and how sure they are
| Early year (1 in 10) | Typical (median) | Late year (1 in 10) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last spring frost | 10 April | 20 April | 11 May |
| First autumn frost | 9 October | 26 October | 11 November |
In a typical year the last frost in Salt Lake City falls around 20 April and the first one around 26 October, leaving about 186 frost-free days (between 161 and 207 in 8 years out of 10). To be safe, plant tender crops after 11 May: by then the last frost has passed in 9 years out of 10. Bring them in before 9 October: in 1 year in 10 the first frost comes earlier.
Frost month by month in Salt Lake City
| Month | Average low | Coldest night (avg) | Record low | Frost nights | Years with frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -6.3 °C | -15.8 °C | -26.2 °C | 27.4 | 100% |
| February | -4 °C | -13.3 °C | -28.9 °C | 21 | 100% |
| March | 0.4 °C | -6.8 °C | -15.8 °C | 12.9 | 100% |
| April | 3.3 °C | -2.9 °C | -9.6 °C | 5.7 | 100% |
| May | 8 °C | 1.1 °C | -2.4 °C | 0.6 | 36% |
| June | 13.2 °C | 6.1 °C | 1.4 °C | 0 | 0% |
| July | 18.2 °C | 13.1 °C | 7.8 °C | 0 | 0% |
| August | 17.6 °C | 12.5 °C | 7.1 °C | 0 | 0% |
| September | 12.6 °C | 4.8 °C | -0.5 °C | 0 | 4% |
| October | 6.1 °C | -1.7 °C | -10.2 °C | 2.4 | 69% |
| November | -0.1 °C | -8.7 °C | -22 °C | 14 | 100% |
| December | -5.4 °C | -15.3 °C | -29.5 °C | 25.3 | 100% |
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 Salt Lake City
The live temperature layer of the map (NOAA GFS forecast): watch the cold nights coming hour by hour.
More for Salt Lake City
Will it rain today in Salt Lake City? · Open the temperature map on Salt Lake City
Questions
- When is the last frost in Salt Lake City?
- On average around 20 April. In an early year the last frost comes by 10 April, in a late one (1 year in 10) after 11 May.
- When is the first frost in Salt Lake City?
- On average around 26 October. In 1 year in 10 it comes before 9 October, in a mild year not until 11 November.
- How long is the growing season in Salt Lake City?
- About 186 frost-free days between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost, from 161 in a short year to 207 in a long one.
- When can I plant tomatoes in Salt Lake City?
- Frost-tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and courgettes go out after the last frost: after 11 May the risk is down to 1 year in 10. Hardy crops can go earlier.
- How cold does it get in Salt Lake City?
- The coldest night of winter averages -18.6 °C; the lowest since 1981 was -29.5 °C in 1991.
Frost dates nearby
Las Vegas · Denver · Albuquerque · Portland · El Paso · Seattle
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 Salt Lake City (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.