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USDA Hardiness Zone 8b

Frost Dates for 97455 — Pleasant Hill, Oregon

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lookout Pt Dam, OR (712 ft), 8 miles southeast.

Updated

In Pleasant Hill, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 7 in half of years and has passed by April 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 27, as early as November 1 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 263 days (NOAA, Lookout Pt Dam, OR).

Last spring frost
March 7

50% probability

First fall frost
November 27

50% probability

Growing season
263 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
8b

15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
26%

7 of 27 observed

Snow per year
0.6"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Pleasant Hill

Half of springs at Lookout Pt Dam, OR see their last 32°F night by March 7; only one in ten is past it by February 4, and one in ten still has one after April 2. Planting tender crops after March 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 25 20%, and after April 2 10%. The 26 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 72% of the 103 Oregon 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 November 27 in half of years, as early as November 1 one year in ten, and holds off past December 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 19 days later, around December 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 5, 28 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 263 days in a typical year, longer than at 91% of the 103 Oregon stations; it reaches 305 days one year in ten and falls short of 228 one year in ten. On average 27 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 40 days longer, to about April 16, and return around November 9. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 50% of winters and 16°F in 5%.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMar 20Mar 29Apr 3Apr 10Apr 16Apr 22Apr 28May 2May 9
32°FFeb 4Feb 16Feb 23Feb 28Mar 7Mar 11Mar 18Mar 25Apr 2
28°F90% of yrsDec 21Jan 2Jan 12Jan 25Feb 2Feb 9Feb 17Feb 25Mar 5
24°F50% of yrsDec 10Dec 18Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 20Jan 31Feb 12Feb 19
20°F19% of yrstoo rare for a date
16°F5% 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 19Oct 26Oct 31Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 18Nov 24Nov 29
32°FNov 1Nov 9Nov 16Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 21
28°F90% of yrsNov 18Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 16Dec 24Jan 1Jan 11Feb 1
24°F50% of yrsDec 3Dec 10Dec 16Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 14Jan 29Feb 12
20°F19% of yrstoo rare for a date
16°F5% of yrstoo rare for a date

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lookout Pt Dam, 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 97455 →Compare Pleasant Hill with another place →

Weather by month in Pleasant Hill

July is the warmest month at Lookout Pt Dam, OR, averaging 80°F by day and 55°F at night; December is the coldest at 46°F and 37°F. A freezing night is all but certain in December (a 90% chance or more). From May to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 79% of years and March still brings one in 55% of years and April still brings one in 11% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,311 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 57% of the 103 Oregon stations. 27% of them (635) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 535. Precipitation totals 45.9 inches a year, most in December (7.0") and least in July (0.5"); May to September bring 18% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lookout Pt Dam, OR
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan47376.188%85
Feb50384.679%59
Mar54405.155%230
Apr59434.811%<175
May65473.50%0193
Jun71512.00%0323
Jul80550.50%0535
Aug80550.60%0535
Sep74521.60%0396
Oct63473.79%<1172
Nov52426.454%332
Dec46377.091%76

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lookout Pt Dam, OR (712 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, Cottage Grove 2E, OR, 13 miles southwest of Pleasant Hill, has a last frost 48 days later (April 24), a first frost 33 days earlier (October 25), a season 80 days shorter.

Frost dates for 97424 (Cottage Grove) →

When it snows in Pleasant Hill, Oregon

Measurable snow is rare here: only 7 of 27 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Lookout Pt Dam, OR, 8.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Planting calendar for 97455

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Pleasant Hill, Oregon
WhenWhat to do
December 27 – January 10Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
January 10 – January 24Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
February 7 – February 21Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
March 7 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by September 4Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by November 13Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 27 onwardPlant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter.

The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 97455 is 8 miles from Lookout Pt Dam, OR, which stands at 712 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 97455 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Oregon →

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 8b places in Oregon