USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 24065 — Boones Mill, Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Copper Hill, VA (2,846 ft), 10 miles west.
Updated
In Boones Mill, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 10 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 25, as early as October 12 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 186 days (NOAA, Copper Hill, VA).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 25
- Growing season
- 186 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
- December 15
- Last snow
- March 3
- Winters with snow
- 90%
- Snow per year
- 18.4"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
27 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Boones Mill
Half of springs at Copper Hill, VA see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 5, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 70% 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 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 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 22, 18 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 186 days in a typical year, shorter than at 65% of the 128 Virginia stations; it reaches 207 days one year in ten and falls short of 165 one year in ten. On average 106 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 12 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 14 and February 28.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 17 | Apr 22 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 14 | May 20 |
| 32°F | Apr 5 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 3 | May 10 |
| 28°F | Mar 22 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 22 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 20°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 |
| 28°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 20°F | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 14 | Dec 23 |
| 16°F | Nov 22 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 10 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Copper Hill, 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 24065 →Compare Boones Mill with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Rocky Mt, VA, 10 miles south of Boones Mill and 1,531 feet lower, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 20), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Boones Mill, Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Boones Mill usually arrives around December 15, and the last of the season around March 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Copper Hill, VA, 10.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 90% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 49 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 24065
| 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 24065 is 10 miles from Copper Hill, VA, which stands at 2,846 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 24065 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.