USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 95567 — Smith River, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Brookings 2 SE, OR (50 ft), 7 miles northwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Smith River in 80% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 27 and the last spring frost around January 31; after March 20 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 31
- First fall frost
- December 27
- Winters with a freeze
- 80%
- 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 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Smith River
In the 80% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Brookings 2 SE, OR see their last 32°F night by January 31; only one in ten is past it by December 14, and one in ten still has one after March 20. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 20 is under 8% and after January 31 40%. The 48 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 99% 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 27 in half of years, as early as November 24 one year in ten, and holds off past February 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 23% 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 272 one year in ten. On average 2 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 58 days longer, to about March 30, and return around November 29. A 24°F night is unusual: 3% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Feb 14 | Mar 2 | Mar 16 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 6 | Apr 12 | Apr 20 | Apr 29 |
| 32°F80% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 29 | Jan 5 | Jan 15 | Jan 31 | Feb 15 | Feb 25 | Mar 3 | Mar 20 |
| 28°F23% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 6 | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 28 |
| 32°F80% of yrs | Nov 24 | Dec 3 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 9 | Jan 21 | Feb 19 |
| 28°F23% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Brookings 2 SE, OR, 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 95567 →Compare Smith River with another place →
Weather by month in Smith River
July is the warmest month at Brookings 2 SE, OR, averaging 69°F by day and 52°F at night; January is the coldest at 56°F and 42°F. From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 24% of years and March still brings one in 16% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 1,870 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 94% of the 283 California stations. 34% of them (635) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 332. Precipitation totals 78.2 inches a year, most in December (13.9") and least in July (0.5"); May to September bring 11% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 42 | 13.1 | 37% | 1 | 34 |
| Feb | 57 | 43 | 9.9 | 24% | <1 | 44 |
| Mar | 58 | 43 | 10.0 | 16% | <1 | 62 |
| Apr | 59 | 44 | 6.7 | 4% | <1 | 71 |
| May | 63 | 47 | 3.9 | 0% | 0 | 165 |
| Jun | 68 | 50 | 1.9 | 0% | 0 | 262 |
| Jul | 69 | 52 | 0.5 | 0% | 0 | 332 |
| Aug | 67 | 53 | 0.5 | 0% | 0 | 299 |
| Sep | 68 | 51 | 1.8 | 0% | 0 | 285 |
| Oct | 65 | 48 | 6.0 | 0% | 0 | 204 |
| Nov | 58 | 45 | 10.0 | 12% | <1 | 73 |
| Dec | 57 | 42 | 13.9 | 40% | 1 | 41 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Brookings 2 SE, OR (50 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, Brookings, OR, 10 miles northwest of Smith River, has the same 50% last-frost date, the same first-frost date, a season 15 days longer.
When it snows in Smith River, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Crescent City 3 NNW, CA, 11.1 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 95567 is 7 miles from Brookings 2 SE, OR, which stands at 50 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 95567 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.