USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 22620 — Boyce, Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Mt Wx 3, VA (1,550 ft), 8 miles east.
Updated
In Boyce, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 17 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 29, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 194 days (NOAA, Mt Wx 3, VA).
- Last spring frost
- April 17
- First fall frost
- October 29
- Growing season
- 194 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 16
- Last snow
- March 13
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 23.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
22 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Boyce
Half of springs at Mt Wx 3, VA see their last 32°F night by April 17; only one in ten is past it by April 1, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 70% of the 128 Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 29 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 19, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 194 days in a typical year, shorter than at 54% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 213 days one year in ten and falls short of 173 one year in ten. On average 105 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 30, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 23 and March 2.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 12 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 1 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 30 | May 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 19 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 19 |
| 24°F | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 7 |
| 20°F | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 |
| 16°F | Feb 6 | Feb 15 | Feb 21 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 18 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 25 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 |
| 20°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 | Dec 26 |
| 16°F | Nov 30 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 16 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Mt Wx 3, VA, 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 22620 →Compare Boyce with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Mt Wx, VA, 8 miles east of Boyce, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 3 days later (November 1), a season 4 days longer.
When it snows in Boyce, Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Boyce usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Winchester, VA, 10.7 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 35 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 22620
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 6 – February 20 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 20 – March 6 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 20 – April 3 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 17 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 6 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 15 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 29 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 22620 is 8 miles from Mt Wx 3, VA, which stands at 1,550 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 22620 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°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.