USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 23457 — Virginia Beach, Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Fentress Naas, VA (16 ft), 9 miles northwest.
Updated
In Virginia Beach, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 23 in half of years and has passed by April 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 18, as early as November 4 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 240 days (NOAA, Fentress Naas, VA).
- Last spring frost
- March 23
- First fall frost
- November 18
- Growing season
- 240 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 10%
- Snow per year
- 0.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Virginia Beach
Half of springs at Fentress Naas, VA see their last 32°F night by March 23; only one in ten is past it by March 5, and one in ten still has one after April 7. Planting tender crops after March 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 2 20%, and after April 7 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 70% of the 128 Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 18 in half of years, as early as November 4 one year in ten, and holds off past December 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around December 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 27, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 240 days in a typical year, longer than at 98% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 268 days one year in ten and falls short of 219 one year in ten. On average 52 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 11 days longer, to about April 3, and return around November 6. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 99% of winters and 16°F in 53%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 19 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 |
| 32°F | Mar 5 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 | Apr 7 |
| 28°F | Feb 17 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 27 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Jan 23 | Feb 1 | Feb 9 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 8 | Mar 15 |
| 20°F87% of yrs | Jan 4 | Jan 14 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 1 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 21 | Feb 28 |
| 16°F53% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 5 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Jan 24 | Jan 29 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 25 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 24 |
| 32°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
| 28°F | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 31 |
| 24°F99% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 18 |
| 20°F87% of yrs | Dec 11 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 24 | Feb 1 |
| 16°F53% of yrs | Dec 23 | Dec 31 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 17 | Jan 23 | Jan 29 | Feb 5 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Fentress Naas, 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 23457 →Compare Virginia Beach with another place →
Weather by month in Virginia Beach
July is the warmest month at Fentress Naas, VA, averaging 93°F by day and 73°F at night; January is the coldest at 54°F and 34°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from December to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 24% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 5,534 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), the most of the 128 Virginia stations. 38% of them (2,117) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,010.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 34 | 100% | 17 | 54 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 100% | 12 | 75 |
| Mar | 63 | 41 | 93% | 6 | 152 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 24% | <1 | 363 |
| May | 82 | 59 | 0% | 0 | 628 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 0% | 0 | 845 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 0% | 0 | 1010 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 0% | 0 | 930 |
| Sep | 85 | 65 | 0% | 0 | 745 |
| Oct | 76 | 54 | 4% | <1 | 463 |
| Nov | 65 | 44 | 75% | 6 | 182 |
| Dec | 58 | 37 | 97% | 12 | 87 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Fentress Naas, VA (16 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, Oceana NAS, VA, 15 miles north of Virginia Beach, has a last frost 6 days later (March 29), a first frost 6 days earlier (November 12), a season 10 days shorter.
When it snows in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Elizabeth City, NC, 22.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 23457
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 12 – January 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 26 – February 9 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 23 – March 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 26 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 4 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 18 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 23457 is 9 miles from Fentress Naas, VA, which stands at 16 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 23322 (Chesapeake). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 23457 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°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.