USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 24053 — Ararat, Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, VA (2,225 ft), 6 miles northeast.
Updated
In Ararat, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 25, as early as October 11 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 185 days (NOAA, Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, VA).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 25
- Growing season
- 185 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 16
- Last snow
- February 22
- Winters with snow
- 76%
- Snow per year
- 7.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
22 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Ararat
Half of springs at Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, VA see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 59% of the 128 Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 185 days in a typical year, shorter than at 69% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 205 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 95 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 May 2, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 21 and March 1.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 | May 13 | May 20 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 7 |
| 28°F | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 12 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 |
| 20°F | Feb 26 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| 16°F | Feb 2 | Feb 12 | Feb 21 | Feb 26 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 |
| 20°F | Nov 11 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 | Dec 26 |
| 16°F | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 17 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, 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 24053 →Compare Ararat with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Mt Airy 2 W, NC, 11 miles southwest of Ararat and 1,145 feet lower, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 19), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 23), a season 1 day longer.
When it snows in Ararat, Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ararat usually arrives around January 16, and the last of the season around February 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, VA, 5.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 76% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 58 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 24053
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 2 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 11 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 25 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 24053 is 6 miles from Meadows Of Dan 5 SW, VA, which stands at 2,225 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 24380 (Willis). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 24053 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.