Frost Dates for 22630 — Front Royal, Virginia

Half of springs at Front Royal, VA see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 21 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the widest of the 128 Virginia 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 October 28 in half of years, as early as October 14 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 7; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 17, 18 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 196 days in a typical year, shorter than at 52% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 216 days one year in ten and falls short of 170 one year in ten. On average 101 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 17 days longer, to about April 30, and return around October 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 20 and March 2.

July is the warmest month at Front Royal, VA, averaging 87°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 85% of years and May still brings one in 16% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,613 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 60% of the 128 Virginia stations. 36% of them (1,304) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 787. Precipitation totals 43.7 inches a year, most in September (4.8") and least in February (2.5"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Woodstock 2 NE, VA, 16 miles west of Front Royal and 255 feet lower, has a last frost 11 days later (April 24), a first frost 8 days earlier (October 20), a season 19 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Front Royal usually arrives around December 31, and the last of the season around March 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Front Royal, VA, 1.6 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 42 days after the last snow.

ZIP 22630 is 2 miles from Front Royal, VA, which stands at 930 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 22630 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.