USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 02769 — Rehoboth, Massachusetts
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from NWS Boston/Norton, MA (85 ft), 10 miles northeast.
Updated
In Rehoboth, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 23 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 17, as early as October 3 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 177 days (NOAA, NWS Boston/Norton, MA).
- Last spring frost
- April 23
- First fall frost
- October 17
- Growing season
- 177 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
- November 28
- Last snow
- March 26
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
26 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Rehoboth
Half of springs at NWS Boston/Norton, MA see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 83% of the 71 Massachusetts stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 177 days in a typical year, longer than at 63% of the 71 Massachusetts stations; it reaches 196 days one year in ten and falls short of 159 one year in ten. On average 130 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 4, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and March 11.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 10 | May 13 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 5 |
| 28°F | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 |
| 24°F | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 |
| 20°F | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 |
| 16°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 3 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 |
| 28°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 24°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 20°F | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 12 |
| 16°F | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 19 | Dec 24 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at NWS Boston/Norton, 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 02769 →Compare Rehoboth with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Taunton, MA, 11 miles northeast of Rehoboth, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 22), a first frost 2 days later (October 19), a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Rehoboth, Massachusetts
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Rehoboth usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at NWS Boston/Norton, MA, 10.4 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 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 02769
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 12 – February 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 26 – March 12 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 26 – April 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 25 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 3 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 17 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 02769 is 10 miles from NWS Boston/Norton, MA, which stands at 85 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 02769 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.