Your nature year
Cincinnati, Ohiothrough the year
Also for Hamilton, OH, Fairfield, OH, Covington, KY, Mason, OH, Florence, KY, Independence, KY: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Cincinnati?
Expect about 192 frost-free days in Cincinnati: the last spring frost usually comes around Apr 16, the first fall one around Oct 25, going by NOAA's Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Fld station 5.4 miles away. The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Mar 18 and first bloom around Apr 17.
Spring takes about 4 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. We follow 3 places within 150 miles of Cincinnati; the nearest lies 93 miles to the southeast. The closest place we follow is Daniel Boone National Forest, 93 miles away, for fall foliage, usually well under way by late October (statewide). For wildflowers, the nearest is Daniel Boone National Forest (93 mi, late March to late April (local timing)).
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Cincinnati right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 25 · last spring frost around Apr 16NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Fld (5.4 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Fall foliage · Daniel Boone National Forest · 93 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~3 weeks
Your guide around Cincinnati
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Daniel Boone National Forest · 93 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~3 weeks
- Hoosier National Forest · 127 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~3 weeks
Wildflowers
- Daniel Boone National Forest · 93 miLocal timing: late March to late April~6 months
- War Fork and Steer Fork · 120 miLocal timing: most spectacular in mid-April~6 months
Cincinnati's nature year
- Wildflowers · Daniel Boone National ForestMar–Apr
- Mar: Spring green-upMar
- Apr: Last spring frostApr
- Oct: First fall frostOct
- Oct: Fall foliage · Daniel Boone National ForestOct
Cincinnati's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 16 to ~Oct 25
- First leaf ~Mar 18
- First bloom ~Apr 17
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 16
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 25
About 192 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 18
First bloom around Apr 17
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Fld (5.4 mi from Cincinnati), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Snow in Cincinnati
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 21 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Cheviot (6.4 mi away): 16 inches of snow in an average year, about 5.4 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Cincinnati?
On average around Oct 25, and the last spring frost around Apr 16: about 192 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Fld, 5.4 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Cincinnati?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 18 and first bloom around Apr 17, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Cincinnati?
Daniel Boone National Forest, 93 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October); Hoosier National Forest, 127 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see wildflowers near Cincinnati?
Daniel Boone National Forest, 93 miles (local timing: late March to late April); War Fork and Steer Fork, 120 miles (local timing: most spectacular in mid-April). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Cincinnati?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 21: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Cheviot. An average year brings 16 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)