Winter Frost Risk by State in Australia
Frost forms when the air temperature near the ground drops to or below freezing, usually on clear, still winter nights. It is the single most useful winter signal for gardeners, growers, builders and anyone deciding where to live, because it marks the line between a cool climate and a genuinely cold one.
This guide groups our 213 locations by state and sorts each one by the number of frost days recorded across 2024. Rather than a single national leaderboard, it shows the regional pattern: which states carry widespread frost risk, and which stay almost entirely frost-free. For the straight national ranking of the frostiest places, see the most frost-prone records page.
How many locations fall in each risk band
We group locations by annual frost days: severe is 40 or more, high is 20 to 39, moderate is 5 to 19, low is 1 to 4, and frost-free means no frost days were recorded in 2024. A single cold year can shift a location up or down a band, so treat these as a recent-year guide rather than a fixed climate rating.
Frost risk state by state
Each state lists its ten highest frost-risk locations. Winter min is the average June to August overnight low.
Tasmania
11 of 13 Tasmania locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 21 frost days a year. Frostiest: Cradle Mountain at 146 days (severe risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cradle Mountain | 146 | 0.3 | Severe |
| Launceston | 30 | 5.0 | High |
| Queenstown | 24 | 5.1 | High |
| Devonport | 16 | 5.7 | Moderate |
| Ulverstone | 14 | 5.6 | Moderate |
| Strahan | 10 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| St Helens | 9 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Swansea | 9 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Hobart | 8 | 5.8 | Moderate |
| Burnie | 1 | 7.3 | Low |
Australian Capital Territory
1 of 1 Australian Capital Territory locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 67 frost days a year. Frostiest: Canberra at 67 days (severe risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra | 67 | 2.2 | Severe |
Victoria
23 of 30 Victoria locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 16 frost days a year. Frostiest: Falls Creek at 174 days (severe risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falls Creek | 174 | -2.7 | Severe |
| Bright | 44 | 3.4 | Severe |
| Wodonga | 35 | 3.9 | High |
| Wangaratta | 34 | 4.0 | High |
| Benalla | 22 | 4.7 | High |
| Daylesford | 21 | 3.9 | High |
| Shepparton | 17 | 5.4 | Moderate |
| Sale | 15 | 5.3 | Moderate |
| Horsham | 14 | 5.4 | Moderate |
| Traralgon | 13 | 5.2 | Moderate |
New South Wales
33 of 61 New South Wales locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 19 frost days a year. Frostiest: Thredbo at 171 days (severe risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thredbo | 171 | -3.2 | Severe |
| Perisher | 164 | -2.7 | Severe |
| Jindabyne | 97 | 0.4 | Severe |
| Cooma | 81 | 1.3 | Severe |
| Katoomba | 69 | 2.1 | Severe |
| Bathurst | 64 | 2.5 | Severe |
| Goulburn | 54 | 3.2 | Severe |
| Orange | 48 | 2.9 | Severe |
| Lithgow | 48 | 3.1 | Severe |
| Armidale | 43 | 3.4 | Severe |
South Australia
16 of 22 South Australia locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 2 frost days a year. Frostiest: Clare at 8 days (moderate risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | 8 | 6.4 | Moderate |
| Naracoorte | 7 | 6.3 | Moderate |
| Coober Pedy | 5 | 7.8 | Moderate |
| Oodnadatta | 4 | 8.4 | Low |
| Marree | 4 | 7.7 | Low |
| Mount Gambier | 3 | 6.5 | Low |
| Murray Bridge | 3 | 7.2 | Low |
| Adelaide | 2 | 8.4 | Low |
| Whyalla | 2 | 7.8 | Low |
| Renmark | 2 | 7.3 | Low |
Western Australia
2 of 33 Western Australia locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 0 frost days a year. Frostiest: Northam at 1 days (low risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northam | 1 | 7.9 | Low |
| Katanning | 1 | 7.5 | Low |
| Perth | 0 | 11.4 | Frost-free |
| Bunbury | 0 | 11.7 | Frost-free |
| Geraldton | 0 | 12.2 | Frost-free |
| Albany | 0 | 10.1 | Frost-free |
| Kalgoorlie | 0 | 7.9 | Frost-free |
| Broome | 0 | 20.3 | Frost-free |
| Karratha | 0 | 16.6 | Frost-free |
| Port Hedland | 0 | 16.9 | Frost-free |
Queensland
5 of 45 Queensland locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 1 frost days a year. Frostiest: Stanthorpe at 19 days (moderate risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanthorpe | 19 | 5.7 | Moderate |
| Warwick | 12 | 6.8 | Moderate |
| Dalby | 4 | 8.2 | Low |
| Roma | 3 | 8.3 | Low |
| Charleville | 1 | 8.6 | Low |
| Brisbane | 0 | 10.8 | Frost-free |
| Gold Coast | 0 | 12.7 | Frost-free |
| Sunshine Coast | 0 | 11.4 | Frost-free |
| Townsville | 0 | 16.2 | Frost-free |
| Cairns | 0 | 17.1 | Frost-free |
Northern Territory
2 of 8 Northern Territory locations record at least one frost day a year. State average: 1 frost days a year. Frostiest: Yulara at 4 days (low risk).
| Location | Frost Days | Winter Min °C | Risk Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yulara | 4 | 8.2 | Low |
| Alice Springs | 3 | 8.9 | Low |
| Darwin | 0 | 21.8 | Frost-free |
| Katherine | 0 | 17.2 | Frost-free |
| Tennant Creek | 0 | 13.4 | Frost-free |
| Nhulunbuy | 0 | 22.2 | Frost-free |
| Jabiru | 0 | 18.7 | Frost-free |
| Mataranka | 0 | 16.9 | Frost-free |