USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 21849 — Parsonsburg, Maryland
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD (48 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Parsonsburg, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 10 in half of years and has passed by April 30 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 30, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 201 days (NOAA, Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD).
- Last spring frost
- April 10
- First fall frost
- October 30
- Growing season
- 201 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
- January 2
- Last snow
- March 5
- Winters with snow
- 94%
- Snow per year
- 8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
16 of 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Parsonsburg
Half of springs at Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD see their last 32°F night by April 10; only one in ten is past it by March 28, and one in ten still has one after April 30. Planting tender crops after April 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 30 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 88% of the 50 Maryland stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 30 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 13, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 201 days in a typical year, shorter than at 56% of the 50 Maryland stations; it reaches 221 days one year in ten and falls short of 177 one year in ten. On average 94 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 16 days longer, to about April 26, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 97% of winters, usually between December 30 and February 16.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 9 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 6 | May 13 |
| 32°F | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 30 |
| 28°F | Mar 13 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 13 |
| 24°F | Feb 26 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| 20°F | Feb 6 | Feb 16 | Feb 23 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 20 |
| 16°F97% of yrs | Jan 20 | Jan 31 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 3 | Mar 10 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 28°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 29 |
| 24°F | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 15 |
| 20°F | Nov 17 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 | Jan 3 |
| 16°F97% of yrs | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 25 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 23 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD, 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 21849 →Compare Parsonsburg with another place →
Weather by month in Parsonsburg
July is the warmest month at Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD, averaging 88°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 28°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 81% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,056 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 66% of the 50 Maryland stations. 35% of them (1,404) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 865. Precipitation totals 47.6 inches a year, most in August (5.3") and least in November (3.2"); May to September bring 47% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 28 | 3.5 | 100% | 22 | 16 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.3 | 100% | 20 | 17 |
| Mar | 55 | 35 | 4.2 | 100% | 14 | 61 |
| Apr | 66 | 44 | 3.4 | 81% | 4 | 199 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 3.7 | 9% | <1 | 430 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.0 | 0% | 0 | 683 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.7 | 0% | 0 | 865 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 5.3 | 0% | 0 | 801 |
| Sep | 80 | 60 | 4.5 | 0% | 0 | 591 |
| Oct | 69 | 48 | 4.2 | 56% | 2 | 281 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 3.2 | 99% | 11 | 84 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 3.6 | 100% | 21 | 30 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD (48 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Salisbury, MD, 7 miles west of Parsonsburg, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 3), a first frost 8 days later (November 7), a season 16 days longer.
When it snows in Parsonsburg, Maryland
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Parsonsburg usually arrives around January 2, and the last of the season around March 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD, 3.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 94% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 36 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 21849
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 30 – February 13 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 13 – February 27 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 13 – March 27 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 10 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 16 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 30 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 21849 is 3 miles from Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD, which stands at 48 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 21849 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.