Your nature year
Hartford, Connecticutthrough the year
Also for Waterbury, CT, New Britain, CT, Bristol, CT, Meriden, CT, Middletown, CT, Torrington, CT, Norwich, CT, New London, CT: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Hartford?
We follow 14 places within 150 miles of Hartford; the nearest lies 36 miles to the south. For a day trip, McKinney Refuge is 36 miles off; its fall foliage is usually at its best Oct 11–31. Hartford usually sees its last spring frost around Apr 17 and its first fall frost around Oct 26, a frost-free stretch of about 192 days at the Hartford Brainard Fld weather station (2.6 mi). Spring green-up reaches town around Apr 5, with first blooms around May 3. At roughly 34 feet, Hartford is about as low as towns get.
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)
Hartford's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 17 to ~Oct 26
- First leaf ~Apr 5
- First bloom ~May 3
- Today
Near Hartford right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 26 · last spring frost around Apr 17NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Hartford Brainard Fld (2.6 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Fall foliage · McKinney Refuge · 36 miusually Oct 11–31~13 days
Hartford's nature year
- Spring green-upApr
- Last spring frostApr
- First fall frostOct
- Fall foliage · McKinney RefugeOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- McKinney Refuge · 36 miusually Oct 11–31~13 days
- Fort River Division · 39 miusually Oct 11–20~13 days
- Bear Mountain and West Point · 75 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~3 weeks
Snow in Hartford
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 4 (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 Hartford-Bradley International Airport (11.9 mi away): 52 inches of snow in an average year, about 12.5 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 17
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 26
About 192 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 5
First bloom around May 3
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Hartford Brainard Fld (2.6 mi from Hartford), 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 Hartford?
On average around Oct 26, and the last spring frost around Apr 17: about 192 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Hartford Brainard Fld, 2.6 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Hartford?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 5 and first bloom around May 3, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Hartford?
McKinney Refuge, 36 miles (usually Oct 11–31); Fort River Division, 39 miles (usually Oct 11–20); Bear Mountain and West Point, 75 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Hartford?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 4: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Hartford-Bradley International Airport. An average year brings 52 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)