USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 94565 — Pittsburg, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Concord Buchanan Field, CA (18 ft), 8 miles west.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Pittsburg in 79% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 14 and the last spring frost around January 9; after February 12 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 9
- First fall frost
- December 14
- Winters with a freeze
- 79%
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Pittsburg
In the 79% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Concord Buchanan Field, CA see their last 32°F night by January 9; only one in ten is past it by December 16, and one in ten still has one after February 12. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 12 is under 8% and after January 9 40%. 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 14 in half of years, as early as November 28 one year in ten, and holds off past January 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 27% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 343 days in a typical year, longer than at 90% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 313 one year in ten. On average 9 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 36 days longer, to about February 14, and return around December 1. A 24°F night is unusual: 2% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Jan 12 | Jan 24 | Feb 2 | Feb 8 | Feb 14 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 13 |
| 32°F79% of yrs | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Dec 30 | Jan 3 | Jan 9 | Jan 16 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 12 |
| 28°F27% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 26 |
| 32°F79% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 25 | Jan 3 | Jan 16 |
| 28°F27% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Concord Buchanan Field, 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 94565 →Compare Pittsburg with another place →
Weather by month in Pittsburg
August is the warmest month at Concord Buchanan Field, CA, averaging 88°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 58°F and 41°F. From March to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 15% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,568 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 51% of the 283 California stations. 38% of them (1,758) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 733. Precipitation totals 16.1 inches a year, most in January (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 | 58 | 41 | 3.2 | 44% | 4 | 46 |
| Feb | 62 | 44 | 3.2 | 15% | 1 | 104 |
| Mar | 67 | 47 | 2.3 | 0% | 0 | 211 |
| Apr | 71 | 49 | 1.1 | 0% | 0 | 305 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 0.5 | 0% | 0 | 473 |
| Jun | 84 | 57 | 0.2 | 0% | 0 | 620 |
| Jul | 88 | 59 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 724 |
| Aug | 88 | 59 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 733 |
| Sep | 85 | 58 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 647 |
| Oct | 78 | 53 | 0.7 | 0% | 0 | 476 |
| Nov | 66 | 45 | 1.6 | 11% | 1 | 181 |
| Dec | 58 | 41 | 3.2 | 55% | 4 | 50 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Concord Buchanan Field, CA (18 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, Antioch Pumping Plt #3, CA, 9 miles east of Pittsburg, has a last frost 3 days later (January 12), a first frost 5 days later (December 19).
When it snows in Pittsburg, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Antioch Pumping Plt #3, CA, 8.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 94565 is 8 miles from Concord Buchanan Field, CA, which stands at 18 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 94565 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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.