USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 94925 — Corte Madera, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Kentfield, CA (145 ft), 3 miles northwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Corte Madera in 86% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 18 and the last spring frost around January 16; after February 25 the chance of another is under 9%.
- Last spring frost
- January 16
- First fall frost
- December 18
- Winters with a freeze
- 86%
- 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 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Corte Madera
In the 86% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Kentfield, CA see their last 32°F night by January 16; only one in ten is past it by December 21, and one in ten still has one after February 25. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 25 is under 9% and after January 16 43%. The 40 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 85% 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 18 in half of years, as early as November 30 one year in ten, and holds off past January 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 27% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 334 days in a typical year, longer than at 85% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 292 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 48 days longer, to about March 5, and return around November 29. A 24°F night is unusual: 2% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jan 29 | Feb 11 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Mar 27 | Apr 5 |
| 32°F86% of yrs | Dec 21 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 10 | Jan 16 | Jan 28 | Feb 5 | Feb 15 | Feb 25 |
| 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°F | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 21 |
| 32°F86% of yrs | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 31 | Jan 5 | Jan 19 |
| 28°F27% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Kentfield, 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 94925 →Compare Corte Madera with another place →
Weather by month in Corte Madera
August is the warmest month at Kentfield, CA, averaging 83°F by day and 54°F at night; December is the coldest at 56°F and 42°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 26% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,578 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 71% of the 283 California stations. 38% of them (1,346) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 567. Precipitation totals 44.5 inches a year, most in December (9.8") and least in July (0.0"); May to September bring 4% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 42 | 8.8 | 50% | 2 | 41 |
| Feb | 61 | 43 | 8.7 | 26% | 1 | 87 |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 6.0 | 3% | 0 | 160 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 2.6 | 1% | 0 | 227 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 1.4 | 0% | 0 | 357 |
| Jun | 80 | 52 | 0.4 | 0% | 0 | 474 |
| Jul | 83 | 53 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 553 |
| Aug | 83 | 54 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 567 |
| Sep | 82 | 53 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 522 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 2.0 | 0% | 0 | 400 |
| Nov | 64 | 45 | 4.6 | 9% | <1 | 150 |
| Dec | 56 | 42 | 9.8 | 58% | 2 | 40 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Kentfield, CA (145 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, San Rafael Civic Ctr, CA, 5 miles north of Corte Madera, has a last frost 5 days earlier (January 11), a first frost 3 days later (December 21), a season 15 days longer.
When it snows in Corte Madera, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Kentfield, CA, 2.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 94925 is 3 miles from Kentfield, CA, which stands at 145 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 94901 (San Rafael). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 94925 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.