Frost Dates for 89408 — Fernley, Nevada

Half of springs at Wadsworth 4 N, NV see their last 32°F night by May 9; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 28. Planting tender crops after May 15 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 28 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 63% of the 38 Nevada stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 1 in half of years, as early as September 17 one year in ten, and holds off past October 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 11; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 14, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 145 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 38 Nevada stations; it reaches 165 days one year in ten and falls short of 122 one year in ten. On average 156 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 16 days longer, to about May 25, and return around September 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 11 and March 8.

July is the warmest month at Wadsworth 4 N, NV, averaging 95°F by day and 58°F at night; December is the coldest at 45°F and 20°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 70% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,999 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 38 Nevada stations. 30% of them (893) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 810.

The nearest other station, Lahontan Dam, NV, 12 miles southeast of Fernley and 167 feet higher, has a last frost 21 days earlier (April 18), a first frost 24 days later (October 25), a season 43 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fernley usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around February 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lahontan Dam, NV, 11.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 62% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 92 days after the last snow.

ZIP 89408 is 8 miles from Wadsworth 4 N, NV, which stands at 4,000 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 89408 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.