USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 03864 — Ossipee, New Hampshire
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from E Sandwich, NH (692 ft), 15 miles northwest.
Updated
In Ossipee, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 6 in half of years and has passed by May 19 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 6, as early as September 24 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 151 days (NOAA, E Sandwich, NH).
- Last spring frost
- May 6
- First fall frost
- October 6
- Growing season
- 151 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 14
- Last snow
- April 10
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 83"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Ossipee
Half of springs at E Sandwich, NH see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 26, and one in ten still has one after May 19. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 19 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 24 one year in ten, and holds off past October 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 151 days in a typical year, longer than at 59% of the 51 New Hampshire stations; it reaches 167 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 173 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 19, and return around September 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 24.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 7 | May 11 | May 14 | May 17 | May 19 | May 22 | May 25 | May 28 | Jun 2 |
| 32°F | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 9 | May 11 | May 15 | May 19 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 |
| 24°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 |
| 20°F | Mar 18 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 |
| 16°F | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 14 | Sep 17 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 8 |
| 32°F | Sep 24 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 19 |
| 28°F | Oct 3 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 24°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 20°F | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 |
| 16°F | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at E Sandwich, 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 03864 →Compare Ossipee with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Tamworth 4, NH, 16 miles northwest of Ossipee and 151 feet lower, has a last frost 10 days later (May 16), a first frost 10 days earlier (September 26), a season 22 days shorter.
When it snows in Ossipee, New Hampshire
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ossipee usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tamworth 4, NH, 15.6 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 26 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 03864
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 25 – March 11 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 11 – March 25 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 8 – April 22 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 6 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 03864 is 15 miles from E Sandwich, NH, which stands at 692 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 03864 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°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.