Your nature year
Cleveland, Ohiothrough the year
Also for Parma, OH, Elyria, OH, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Lakewood, OH, Euclid, OH, Mentor, OH, Strongsville, OH, Cleveland Heights, OH, North Ridgeville, OH, Brunswick, OH, Westlake, OH, Stow, OH, North Olmsted, OH, North Royalton, OH, Garfield Heights, OH, Shaker Heights, OH, Avon Lake, OH, Avon, OH: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Cleveland?
For a day trip, Cuyahoga Valley is 18 miles off; its fall foliage is usually at its best Oct 15–21. For wildflowers, the nearest is Cuyahoga Valley (18 mi, Mar 21–May 15 (local timing)). Cleveland usually sees its last spring frost around Apr 8 and its first fall frost around Nov 12, a frost-free stretch of about 218 days at the nearest NOAA station, Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport. Spring takes about 5 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. Leaves usually come out around Mar 30 and the first flowers around May 1. We follow 5 places within 150 miles of Cleveland; the nearest lies 18 miles to the south.
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)
Cleveland's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 8 to ~Nov 12
- First leaf ~Mar 30
- First bloom ~May 1
- Today
Near Cleveland right now
- First fall frost usually around Nov 12 · last spring frost around Apr 8NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport (3.3 mi, 50% dates)~6 weeks
- Fall foliage · Cuyahoga Valley · 18 miusually Oct 15–21~2 weeks
Cleveland's nature year
- Wildflowers · Cuyahoga ValleyMar–May
- Spring green-upMar
- Last spring frostApr
- Fall foliage · Cuyahoga ValleyOct
- First fall frostNov
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Cuyahoga Valley · 18 miusually Oct 15–21~2 weeks
- Erie Refuge · 89 miusually Oct 11–20~13 days
- Cook Forest State Park · 128 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~3 weeks
Wildflowers
- Cuyahoga Valley · 18 miLocal timing: Mar 21–May 15~6 months
Snow in Cleveland
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 11 (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 Cleveland (10.4 mi away): 64 inches of snow in an average year, about 19.5 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.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 8
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Nov 12
About 218 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 30
First bloom around May 1
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport (3.3 mi from Cleveland), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Cleveland?
On average around Nov 12, and the last spring frost around Apr 8: about 218 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, 3.3 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Cleveland?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 30 and first bloom around May 1, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Cleveland?
Cuyahoga Valley, 18 miles (usually Oct 15–21); Erie Refuge, 89 miles (usually Oct 11–20); Cook Forest State Park, 128 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see wildflowers near Cleveland?
Cuyahoga Valley, 18 miles (local timing: Mar 21–May 15). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Cleveland?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 11: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Cleveland. An average year brings 64 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)