USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 92308 — Apple Valley, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hesperia 2E, CA (3,055 ft), 5 miles southwest.
Updated
In Apple Valley, the last spring frost (32°F) is around February 28 in half of years and has passed by April 3 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around December 1, as early as November 11 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 270 days (NOAA, Hesperia 2E, CA).
- Last spring frost
- February 28
- First fall frost
- December 1
- Growing season
- 270 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 11%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 18 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Apple Valley
Half of springs at Hesperia 2E, CA see their last 32°F night by February 28; only one in ten is past it by February 1, and one in ten still has one after April 3. Planting tender crops after March 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 22 20%, and after April 3 10%. The 34 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 65% of the 220 California 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 December 1 in half of years, as early as November 11 one year in ten, and holds off past December 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around December 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 1, 33 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 270 days in a typical year, shorter than at 58% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 304 days one year in ten and falls short of 236 one year in ten. On average 32 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 31 days longer, to about March 31, and return around November 16. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 57% of winters.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 3 | Mar 11 | Mar 19 | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 22 |
| 32°F | Feb 1 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 12 | Mar 22 | Apr 3 |
| 28°F97% of yrs | Dec 31 | Jan 8 | Jan 15 | Jan 23 | Jan 30 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 21 | Mar 1 |
| 24°F57% of yrs | Dec 15 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 20 | Jan 28 | Feb 7 |
| 20°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 29 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 |
| 32°F | Nov 11 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 |
| 28°F97% of yrs | Nov 26 | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 19 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 10 |
| 24°F57% of yrs | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 | Dec 25 | Dec 28 | Jan 1 | Jan 5 | Jan 14 | Jan 25 |
| 20°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hesperia 2E, CA, 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 92308 →Compare Apple Valley with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Victorville, CA, 8 miles northwest of Apple Valley and 175 feet lower, has a last frost 18 days later (March 18), a first frost 20 days earlier (November 11), a season 37 days shorter.
When it snows in Apple Valley, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 18 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Victorville, CA, 8 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 92308
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 20 – January 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 3 – January 17 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 31 – February 14 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 28 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 8 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 1 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 92308 is 5 miles from Hesperia 2E, CA, which stands at 3,055 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 92345 (Hesperia). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 92308 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across California →
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.