Frost Dates for 89506 — Reno, Nevada

Half of springs at Stead, NV see their last 32°F night by May 8; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after June 2. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after June 2 10%. The 25 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% 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 12 in half of years, as early as September 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 22; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 20 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, shorter than at 66% of the 38 Nevada stations; it reaches 175 days one year in ten and falls short of 127 one year in ten. On average 147 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 24 days longer, to about June 1, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 24 and February 24.

July is the warmest month at Stead, NV, averaging 89°F by day and 57°F at night; December is the coldest at 43°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 67% of years and June still brings one in 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,609 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 76% of the 38 Nevada stations. 27% of them (705) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 708. Precipitation totals 11.1 inches a year, most in December (2.2") and least in August (0.2"); May to September bring 18% of it.

The nearest other station, Reno WFO, NV, 8 miles southeast of Reno, has a last frost 10 days earlier (April 28), a first frost 15 days later (October 27), a season 32 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Reno usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 17. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Stead, NV, 2.4 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 52 days after the last snow.

ZIP 89506 is 2 miles from Stead, NV, which stands at 5,101 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 89506 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.