USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 03266 — Rumney, New Hampshire
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Wentworth, NH (653 ft), 5 miles northwest.
Updated
In Rumney, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 12 in half of years and has passed by May 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 6, as early as September 23 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 146 days (NOAA, Wentworth, NH).
- Last spring frost
- May 12
- First fall frost
- October 6
- Growing season
- 146 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 16
- Last snow
- April 15
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 76.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
22 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Rumney
Half of springs at Wentworth, NH see their last 32°F night by May 12; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 25. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 25 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 67% of the 51 New Hampshire stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 6 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 12, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 146 days in a typical year, shorter than at 61% of the 51 New Hampshire stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 126 one year in ten. On average 178 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 13 days longer, to about May 25, and return around September 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 30.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 11 | May 16 | May 19 | May 22 | May 25 | May 29 | Jun 1 | Jun 4 | Jun 9 |
| 32°F | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 9 | May 12 | May 15 | May 18 | May 21 | May 25 |
| 28°F | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 8 | May 12 |
| 24°F | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 |
| 20°F | Mar 23 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 |
| 16°F | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 12 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 8 |
| 32°F | Sep 23 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 22 |
| 28°F | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 24°F | Oct 16 | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 |
| 16°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Wentworth, NH, 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 03266 →Compare Rumney with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Plymouth, NH, 12 miles east of Rumney, has a last frost 8 days later (May 20), a first frost 9 days earlier (September 27), a season 18 days shorter.
When it snows in Rumney, New Hampshire
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Rumney usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Wentworth, NH, 4.6 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 27 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 03266
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 3 – March 17 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 17 – March 31 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 14 – April 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 12 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 14 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 22 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 6 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 03266 is 5 miles from Wentworth, NH, which stands at 653 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 03266 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across New Hampshire →
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.