USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 25143 — Nitro, West Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Saint Albans, WV (646 ft), 2 miles south.
Updated
In Nitro, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 18 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 26, as early as October 12 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 189 days (NOAA, Saint Albans, WV).
- Last spring frost
- April 18
- First fall frost
- October 26
- Growing season
- 189 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 27
- Last snow
- March 28
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Nitro
Half of springs at Saint Albans, WV see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 26 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 40% of the 84 West Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 26 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 189 days in a typical year, longer than at 80% of the 84 West Virginia stations; it reaches 210 days one year in ten and falls short of 166 one year in ten. On average 108 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 April 30, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 17 and February 27.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 10 | May 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 2 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 21 |
| 24°F | Mar 3 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 |
| 20°F | Feb 18 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 29 |
| 16°F | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 1 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 18 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 19 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 22 |
| 16°F | Nov 21 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 22 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 10 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Saint Albans, WV, 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 25143 →Compare Nitro with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Winfield Locks, WV, 9 miles northwest of Nitro, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 4 days later (October 30), a season 4 days longer.
When it snows in Nitro, West Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Nitro usually arrives around November 27, and the last of the season around March 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Charleston WFO, WV, 9.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 21 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 25143
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 7 – February 21 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 21 – March 7 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 21 – April 4 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 18 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 3 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 26 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 25143 is 2 miles from Saint Albans, WV, which stands at 646 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 25177 (Saint Albans). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 25143 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.
Frost dates across West Virginia →
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.