Frost Dates for 22835 — Luray, Virginia

Half of springs at Luray 5 E, VA see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 6 20%, and after May 15 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 22 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, shorter than at 78% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 200 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 112 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 14 days longer, to about May 7, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 9 and March 6.

July is the warmest month at Luray 5 E, VA, averaging 85°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 23°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 33% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,406 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 73% of the 128 Virginia stations. 36% of them (1,218) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 735. Precipitation totals 44.3 inches a year, most in September (5.4") and least in February (2.5"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Big Meadows, VA, 10 miles south of Luray and 2,140 feet higher, has a last frost 8 days later (May 1), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 19), a season 10 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Luray usually arrives around December 17, and the last of the season around March 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Luray 5 E, VA, 4.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 97% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 22835 is 5 miles from Luray 5 E, VA, which stands at 1,400 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 22835 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.