USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 94538 — Fremont, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Fremont, CA (38 ft), 3 miles west.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Fremont in 65% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 22 and the last spring frost around January 7; after February 7 the chance of another is under 6%.
- Last spring frost
- January 7
- First fall frost
- December 22
- Winters with a freeze
- 65%
- Hardiness zone
- 10a
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Fremont
In the 65% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Fremont, CA see their last 32°F night by January 7; only one in ten is past it by December 14, and one in ten still has one after February 7. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 7 is under 6% and after January 7 32%. The 31 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 53% 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 22 in half of years, as early as December 2 one year in ten, and holds off past January 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 14% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 353 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 323 one year in ten. On average 3 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 30 days longer, to about February 6, and return around December 5. No night reached 24°F in 1991–2020.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F98% of yrs | Jan 3 | Jan 16 | Jan 25 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 14 | Feb 24 | Mar 1 | Mar 11 |
| 32°F65% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 13 | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Feb 7 |
| 28°F14% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F98% of yrs | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 21 | Jan 2 |
| 32°F65% of yrs | Dec 2 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 | Jan 21 |
| 28°F14% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Fremont, 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 94538 →Compare Fremont with another place →
Weather by month in Fremont
August is the warmest month at Fremont, CA, averaging 78°F by day and 57°F at night; December is the coldest at 58°F and 43°F. From February to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,622 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 69% of the 283 California stations. 39% of them (1,397) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 547. Precipitation totals 16.0 inches a year, most in February (3.2") and least in July (0.0"); May to September bring 5% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 43 | 3.0 | 36% | 1 | 63 |
| Feb | 61 | 44 | 3.2 | 10% | <1 | 101 |
| Mar | 65 | 46 | 2.5 | 0% | 0 | 185 |
| Apr | 68 | 48 | 1.2 | 0% | 0 | 241 |
| May | 71 | 52 | 0.5 | 0% | 0 | 357 |
| Jun | 75 | 55 | 0.2 | 0% | 0 | 450 |
| Jul | 78 | 57 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 538 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 547 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 515 |
| Oct | 73 | 52 | 0.7 | 0% | 0 | 392 |
| Nov | 65 | 46 | 1.6 | 3% | <1 | 171 |
| Dec | 58 | 43 | 3.0 | 43% | 1 | 63 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Fremont, CA (38 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, Moffett Federal Airfield, CA, 9 miles southwest of Fremont, has a last frost 1 day earlier (January 6), a first frost 1 day later (December 23).
When it snows in Fremont, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Newark, CA, 3.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 94538 is 3 miles from Fremont, CA, which stands at 38 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 94536 (Fremont). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 94538 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.