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USDA Hardiness Zone 10a

Frost Dates for 94019 — Half Moon Bay, California

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Half Moon Bay, CA (27 ft), under a mile south.

Updated

A freeze (32°F) reaches Half Moon Bay in 82% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 17 and the last spring frost around February 6; after March 25 the chance of another is under 8%.

Last spring frost
February 6

50%, in freezing years

First fall frost
December 17

50%, in freezing years

Winters with a freeze
82%

32°F or below, 1991–2020

Hardiness zone
10a

30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
0%

0 of 19 observed

Snow per year
0"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Half Moon Bay

In the 82% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Half Moon Bay, CA see their last 32°F night by February 6; only one in ten is past it by December 17, and one in ten still has one after March 25. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 25 is under 8% and after February 6 41%. The 47 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 96% 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 17 in half of years, as early as November 25 one year in ten, and holds off past February 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 19% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 328 days in a typical year, longer than at 79% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 266 one year in ten. On average 5 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 56 days longer, to about April 3, and return around November 20. A 24°F night is unusual: 2% of winters had one.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FFeb 23Mar 8Mar 20Mar 29Apr 3Apr 10Apr 16Apr 22May 1
32°F82% of yrsDec 17Dec 29Jan 7Jan 23Feb 6Feb 15Feb 26Mar 3Mar 25
28°F19% of yrstoo rare for a date
24°F2% of yrstoo rare for a date
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 20Nov 3Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 25Dec 1Dec 8Dec 16
32°F82% of yrsNov 25Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 17Dec 24Jan 1Jan 17Feb 13
28°F19% of yrstoo rare for a date
24°F2% of yrstoo rare for a date

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Half Moon Bay, 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 94019 →Compare Half Moon Bay with another place →

Weather by month in Half Moon Bay

August is the warmest month at Half Moon Bay, CA, averaging 66°F by day and 54°F at night; December is the coldest at 59°F and 43°F. From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 31% of years and March still brings one in 17% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,952 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 94% of the 283 California stations. 36% of them (693) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 302. Precipitation totals 26.1 inches a year, most in December (5.2") and least in July (0.1"); May to September bring 7% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Half Moon Bay, CA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan59435.130%180
Feb60434.731%168
Mar60443.717%<186
Apr61451.85%<198
May62481.00%0154
Jun64500.40%0207
Jul65530.10%0271
Aug66540.20%0302
Sep66510.20%0266
Oct66481.30%0222
Nov63452.413%1124
Dec59435.248%173

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Half Moon Bay, CA (27 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, Pacifica 4 SSE, CA, 8 miles north of Half Moon Bay and 448 feet higher, has a 32°F night in 20% of winters against 82% here, and a coolest-month low 2°F warmer (45°F).

Frost dates for 94044 (Pacifica) →

When it snows in Half Moon Bay, California

Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Half Moon Bay, CA, 0.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 94019 is under a mile from Half Moon Bay, CA, which stands at 27 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 94019 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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 10a places in California