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USDA Hardiness Zone 6a

Frost Dates for 01027 — Easthampton, Massachusetts

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA (271 ft), 8 miles south.

Updated

In Easthampton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 3 in half of years and has passed by May 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 8, as early as September 26 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 158 days (NOAA, Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA).

Last spring frost
May 3

50% probability

First fall frost
October 8

50% probability

Growing season
158 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6a

-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night

First snow
November 28

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 25

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

29 of 29 observed

Snow per year
36.5"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Easthampton

Half of springs at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA see their last 32°F night by May 3; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 17. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 12 20%, and after May 17 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 51% of the 71 Massachusetts stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 25 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 158 days in a typical year, shorter than at 80% of the 71 Massachusetts stations; it reaches 179 days one year in ten and falls short of 139 one year in ten. On average 144 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about May 14, and return around September 30. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 17.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMay 1May 5May 8May 11May 14May 17May 20May 23May 28
32°FApr 20Apr 25Apr 28Apr 30May 3May 6May 9May 12May 17
28°FApr 6Apr 12Apr 15Apr 18Apr 21Apr 23Apr 27Apr 30May 5
24°FMar 23Mar 29Apr 1Apr 3Apr 5Apr 8Apr 12Apr 16Apr 21
20°FMar 11Mar 16Mar 21Mar 25Mar 28Mar 30Apr 1Apr 3Apr 8
16°FMar 3Mar 7Mar 11Mar 14Mar 17Mar 20Mar 24Mar 28Mar 31
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 16Sep 21Sep 24Sep 27Sep 30Oct 2Oct 4Oct 7Oct 11
32°FSep 26Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 8Oct 11Oct 15Oct 19Oct 25
28°FOct 6Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 5
24°FOct 17Oct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 17
20°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 21Nov 27Dec 1
16°FNov 11Nov 18Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.

Frost risk on any date in 01027 →Compare Easthampton with another place →

Weather by month in Easthampton

July is the warmest month at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA, averaging 85°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 16°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 60% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,798 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 70% of the 71 Massachusetts stations. 32% of them (899) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 710. Precipitation totals 45.3 inches a year, most in October (4.7") and least in February (2.6"); May to September bring 45% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan35162.8100%290
Feb38172.6100%261
Mar47263.4100%2410
Apr60354.1100%1177
May72463.760%2288
Jun80554.40%0522
Jul85614.20%0710
Aug83593.70%0651
Sep75514.616%<1396
Oct63394.795%7121
Nov51303.5100%1820
Dec40223.6100%262

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA (271 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Amherst, MA, 11 miles northeast of Easthampton, has a last frost 2 days later (May 5), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days shorter.

Frost dates for 01002 (Amherst) →

When it snows in Easthampton, Massachusetts

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Easthampton usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around March 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Amherst, MA, 10.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 39 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 01027

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Easthampton, Massachusetts
WhenWhat to do
February 22 – March 8Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 8 – March 22Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 5 – April 19Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 3 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 16Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 24Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 8 onwardPlant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter.

The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 01027 is 8 miles from Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport, MA, which stands at 271 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 22 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 01085 (Westfield). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 01027 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Massachusetts →

Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 6a places in Massachusetts