USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 05101 — Bellows Falls, Vermont
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Walpole 2S Nepp, NH (604 ft), 9 miles south.
Updated
In Bellows Falls, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 8 in half of years and has passed by May 22 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 3, as early as September 22 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 149 days (NOAA, Walpole 2S Nepp, NH).
- Last spring frost
- May 8
- First fall frost
- October 3
- Growing season
- 149 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 24
- Last snow
- March 28
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 59.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Bellows Falls
Half of springs at Walpole 2S Nepp, NH see their last 32°F night by May 8; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 22. Planting tender crops after May 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 18 20%, and after May 22 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 54% of the 41 Vermont stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 3 in half of years, as early as September 22 one year in ten, and holds off past October 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 149 days in a typical year, longer than at 63% of the 41 Vermont stations; it reaches 170 days one year in ten and falls short of 129 one year in ten. On average 163 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 21, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 24 and March 21.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 6 | May 11 | May 15 | May 18 | May 21 | May 25 | May 28 | Jun 1 | Jun 6 |
| 32°F | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 4 | May 8 | May 11 | May 14 | May 18 | May 22 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 4 | May 11 |
| 24°F | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 |
| 20°F | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 12 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 6 |
| 32°F | Sep 22 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 14 | Oct 20 |
| 28°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 |
| 24°F | Oct 11 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 |
| 20°F | Oct 25 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Walpole 2S Nepp, 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 05101 →Compare Bellows Falls with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, N Springfield Lake, VT, 13 miles north of Bellows Falls, has a last frost 1 day later (May 9), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 2), a season 3 days shorter.
When it snows in Bellows Falls, Vermont
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bellows Falls usually arrives around November 24, and the last of the season around March 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Walpole 3, NH, 6.6 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 41 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 05101
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 27 – March 13 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 13 – March 27 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 10 – April 24 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 8 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 11 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 3 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 05101 is 9 miles from Walpole 2S Nepp, NH, which stands at 604 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 05346 (Putney). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 05101 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.
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.