USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 93428 — Cambria, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hearst Castle, CA (1,526 ft), 10 miles northwest.
Updated
Frost is not a yearly event in Cambria: a night at or below 32°F came in 40% of the winters of 1991–2020 at Hearst Castle, CA, and a 36°F night, cold enough for frost on exposed leaves, in 94%. There is no reliable "last frost date" here; most years have none.
- Winters with a freeze
- 40%
- Winters with 36°F
- 94%
- Coldest month low
- 45°F
- Hardiness zone
- 10a
32°F or below, 1991–2020
frost possible on leaves
average, February
30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 5%
- Snow per year
- 0.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
1 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Cambria
At Hearst Castle, CA, 10 miles northwest of Cambria, 40% of the winters of 1991–2020 had at least one night at or below 32°F, 3% reached 28°F. Nights of 36°F, enough for frost on exposed leaves, are more common (94% of winters) and, when they come, fall between about December 25 and March 13. February is the month most likely to bring one: a 16% chance in a given year. 62 of the 283 other California stations behind this site's ZIP pages freeze in fewer than half of winters too.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F94% of yrs | Jan 21 | Feb 11 | Feb 22 | Mar 1 | Mar 13 | Mar 27 | Apr 6 | Apr 14 | Apr 24 |
| 32°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 28°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F0% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F94% of yrs | Nov 26 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 28 | Feb 20 |
| 32°F40% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 28°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F0% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hearst Castle, 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 93428 →Compare Cambria with another place →
Weather by month in Cambria
September is the warmest month at Hearst Castle, CA, averaging 78°F by day and 60°F at night; December is the coldest at 59°F and 46°F. From March to December the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 16% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,841 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 66% of the 283 California stations. 36% of them (1,381) have built up by the end of June, and September adds the most, 573. Precipitation totals 29.5 inches a year, most in February (6.2") and least in August (0.0"); May to September bring 3% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 47 | 6.0 | 14% | <1 | 144 |
| Feb | 60 | 45 | 6.2 | 16% | <1 | 116 |
| Mar | 62 | 47 | 4.8 | 6% | 0 | 175 |
| Apr | 65 | 47 | 2.0 | 4% | 0 | 201 |
| May | 69 | 52 | 0.7 | 0% | 0 | 328 |
| Jun | 73 | 55 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 417 |
| Jul | 75 | 57 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 498 |
| Aug | 77 | 58 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 552 |
| Sep | 78 | 60 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 573 |
| Oct | 74 | 56 | 1.1 | 0% | 0 | 470 |
| Nov | 66 | 50 | 2.3 | 2% | <1 | 250 |
| Dec | 59 | 46 | 6.1 | 5% | <1 | 117 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Hearst Castle, CA (1,526 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Morro Bay Fire Dept, CA, 19 miles southeast of Cambria and 1,408 feet lower, has a 32°F night in 15% of winters against 40% here, and a coolest-month low 1°F warmer (46°F).
When it snows in Cambria, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Morro Bay Fire Dept, CA, 18.9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 93428 is 10 miles from Hearst Castle, CA, which stands at 1,526 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 93428 in zone 10a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°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.