USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 89441 — Sparks, Nevada
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Spanish Springs, NV (4,489 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Sparks, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 3 in half of years and has passed by May 24 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 10, as early as September 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 157 days (NOAA, Spanish Springs, NV).
- Last spring frost
- May 3
- First fall frost
- October 10
- Growing season
- 157 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
- November 11
- Last snow
- April 14
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 29.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Sparks
Half of springs at Spanish Springs, NV see their last 32°F night by May 3; only one in ten is past it by April 19, and one in ten still has one after May 24. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 17 20%, and after May 24 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 50% of the 38 Nevada stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 10 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 22; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 157 days in a typical year, shorter than at 53% of the 38 Nevada stations; it reaches 176 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 one year in ten. On average 150 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 17 days longer, to about May 20, and return around September 27. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 25 and February 26.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 4 | May 9 | May 12 | May 16 | May 20 | May 24 | May 29 | Jun 1 | Jun 6 |
| 32°F | Apr 19 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 11 | May 17 | May 24 |
| 28°F | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 11 |
| 24°F | Mar 13 | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 |
| 20°F | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 5 |
| 16°F | Feb 3 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 22 | Feb 26 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 8 | Mar 15 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 14 | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 10 |
| 32°F | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 23 |
| 28°F | Oct 7 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 |
| 24°F | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 |
| 16°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 15 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Spanish Springs, NV, 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 89441 →Compare Sparks with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Sparks, NV, 9 miles south of Sparks, has a last frost 2 days earlier (May 1), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Sparks, Nevada
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sparks usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Reno WFO, NV, 9.9 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 19 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 89441
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 22 – March 8 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 8 – March 22 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 5 – April 19 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 3 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 18 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 26 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 10 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 89441 is 3 miles from Spanish Springs, NV, which stands at 4,489 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 89436 (Sparks). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 89441 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.