USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 21875 — Delmar, Maryland
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Salisbury 2N, MD (20 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Delmar, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 2 in half of years and has passed by April 16 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 10, as early as October 29 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 222 days (NOAA, Salisbury 2N, MD).
- Last spring frost
- April 2
- First fall frost
- November 10
- Growing season
- 222 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 Delmar
Half of springs at Salisbury 2N, MD see their last 32°F night by April 2; only one in ten is past it by March 16, and one in ten still has one after April 16. Planting tender crops after April 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 11 20%, and after April 16 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 62% of the 50 Maryland stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 10 in half of years, as early as October 29 one year in ten, and holds off past November 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around November 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 3, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 222 days in a typical year, longer than at 82% of the 50 Maryland stations; it reaches 247 days one year in ten and falls short of 202 one year in ten. On average 72 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 April 15, and return around October 31. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 91% of winters, usually between January 10 and February 9.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 30 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 29 |
| 32°F | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 |
| 28°F | Mar 2 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 |
| 24°F | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 |
| 20°F | Jan 30 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 20 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 16 |
| 16°F91% of yrs | Jan 15 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 15 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 |
| 32°F | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 28°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 13 |
| 24°F | Nov 18 | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 |
| 20°F | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 11 | Jan 20 |
| 16°F91% of yrs | Dec 18 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 10 | Jan 15 | Jan 19 | Jan 25 | Feb 3 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Salisbury 2N, 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 21875 →Compare Delmar with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Salisbury, MD, 6 miles south of Delmar, has a last frost 1 day later (April 3), a first frost 3 days earlier (November 7), a season 5 days shorter.
When it snows in Delmar, Maryland
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Delmar 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, 7.9 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 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 21875
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 22 – February 5 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 5 – February 19 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 5 – March 19 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 2 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 18 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 27 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 10 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 21875 is 3 miles from Salisbury 2N, MD, which stands at 20 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 19956 (Laurel). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 21875 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.