USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 11964 — Shelter Island, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Orient Pt Sp, NY (3 ft), 6 miles northeast.
Updated
In Shelter Island, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 6 in half of years and has passed by May 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 17, as early as October 31 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 221 days (NOAA, Orient Pt Sp, NY).
- Last spring frost
- April 6
- First fall frost
- November 17
- Growing season
- 221 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 12
- Last snow
- March 18
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 26.8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
23 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Shelter Island
Half of springs at Orient Pt Sp, NY see their last 32°F night by April 6; only one in ten is past it by March 25, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 15 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 22 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 26 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the widest of the 173 New York stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 17 in half of years, as early as October 31 one year in ten, and holds off past December 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around December 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 6, 26 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 221 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 243 days one year in ten and falls short of 195 one year in ten. On average 73 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 24 days longer, to about April 30, and return around November 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between January 1 and February 26.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 9 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 6 | May 10 | May 15 |
| 32°F | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 22 | May 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 |
| 24°F | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 |
| 20°F | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 |
| 16°F | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 26 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 9 | Mar 15 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 31 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 |
| 28°F | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 |
| 24°F | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 10 | Dec 13 | Dec 17 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 |
| 20°F | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 19 | Dec 22 | Dec 25 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 |
| 16°F | Dec 15 | Dec 21 | Dec 26 | Dec 30 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 9 | Jan 14 | Jan 21 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Orient Pt Sp, NY, 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 11964 →Compare Shelter Island with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Bridgehampton, NY, 8 miles south of Shelter Island, has a last frost 17 days later (April 23), a first frost 24 days earlier (October 24), a season 39 days shorter.
When it snows in Shelter Island, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Shelter Island usually arrives around December 12, and the last of the season around March 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Bridgehampton, NY, 7.7 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 19 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 11964
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 26 – February 9 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 9 – February 23 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 9 – March 23 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 6 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 25 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 3 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 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 11964 is 6 miles from Orient Pt Sp, NY, which stands at 3 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 7 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 06413 (Clinton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 11964 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°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.