USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 02540 — Falmouth, Massachusetts
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Woods Hole Golf Club, MA (80 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Falmouth, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 11 in half of years and has passed by April 24 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 11, as early as October 31 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 213 days (NOAA, Woods Hole Golf Club, MA).
- Last spring frost
- April 11
- First fall frost
- November 11
- Growing season
- 213 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 20
- Last snow
- March 18
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 25.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
29 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Falmouth
Half of springs at Woods Hole Golf Club, MA see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 24 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 51% of the 71 Massachusetts stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 11 in half of years, as early as October 31 one year in ten, and holds off past November 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 11, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 213 days in a typical year, longer than at 99% of the 71 Massachusetts stations; it reaches 232 days one year in ten and falls short of 193 one year in ten. On average 83 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 14 days longer, to about April 25, and return around October 31. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 30 and March 1.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 12 | Apr 18 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 9 |
| 32°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 |
| 28°F | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 |
| 24°F | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 |
| 20°F | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 |
| 16°F | Feb 6 | Feb 14 | Feb 22 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 16 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 27 |
| 28°F | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
| 24°F | Nov 18 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 |
| 20°F | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 17 | Dec 21 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 5 |
| 16°F | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 26 | Dec 30 | Jan 2 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 17 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Woods Hole Golf Club, 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 02540 →Compare Falmouth with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Vineyard Haven Airport, MA, 12 miles south of Falmouth, has a last frost 26 days later (May 7), a first frost 33 days earlier (October 9), a season 57 days shorter.
When it snows in Falmouth, Massachusetts
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Falmouth usually arrives around December 20, and the last of the season around March 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Edgartown, MA, 13.2 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 24 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 02540
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 31 – February 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 14 – February 28 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 11 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 19 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 28 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 11 onward | Plant 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 02540 is 3 miles from Woods Hole Golf Club, MA, which stands at 80 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 02536 (East Falmouth). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 02540 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°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.