USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 23937 — Drakes Branch, Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Keysville 2 S, VA (625 ft), 5 miles northeast.
Updated
In Drakes Branch, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 8 in half of years and has passed by April 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 1, as early as October 18 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 206 days (NOAA, Keysville 2 S, VA).
- Last spring frost
- April 8
- First fall frost
- November 1
- Growing season
- 206 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 19
- Last snow
- February 15
- Winters with snow
- 72%
- Snow per year
- 4.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
18 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Drakes Branch
Half of springs at Keysville 2 S, VA see their last 32°F night by April 8; only one in ten is past it by March 24, and one in ten still has one after April 25. Planting tender crops after April 15 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 25 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 48% of the 128 Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 1 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 11; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 206 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 226 days one year in ten and falls short of 184 one year in ten. On average 83 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 21, and return around October 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 95% of winters, usually between January 3 and February 8.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 7 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 2 | May 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 25 |
| 28°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 24°F | Feb 19 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 30 |
| 20°F | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 |
| 16°F95% of yrs | Jan 16 | Jan 23 | Jan 30 | Feb 3 | Feb 8 | Feb 14 | Feb 22 | Mar 1 | Mar 8 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 |
| 32°F | Oct 18 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 |
| 28°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 30 |
| 24°F | Nov 6 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 18 |
| 20°F | Nov 20 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 | Jan 9 |
| 16°F95% of yrs | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 7 | Jan 12 | Jan 17 | Jan 25 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Keysville 2 S, 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 23937 →Compare Drakes Branch with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Charlotte Court House, VA, 9 miles northwest of Drakes Branch, has a last frost 2 days later (April 10), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 30), a season 5 days shorter.
When it snows in Drakes Branch, Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Drakes Branch usually arrives around January 19, and the last of the season around February 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Keysville 2 S, VA, 5.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 72% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 52 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 23937
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 28 – February 11 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 11 – February 25 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 11 – March 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 8 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 9 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 18 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 1 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 23937 is 5 miles from Keysville 2 S, VA, which stands at 625 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 23947 (Keysville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 23937 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.