Frost Dates for 97523 — Cave Junction, Oregon

Half of springs at Cave Junction 1 WNW, OR see their last 32°F night by May 1; only one in ten is past it by April 14, and one in ten still has one after May 23. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 23 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 45% 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 October 12 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 21 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 25 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 161 days in a typical year, shorter than at 75% of the 103 Oregon stations; it reaches 189 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 75 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 27 days longer, to about May 28, and return around September 23. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 98% of winters and 16°F in 28%.

July is the warmest month at Cave Junction 1 WNW, OR, averaging 94°F by day and 52°F at night; December is the coldest at 47°F and 33°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 49% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,951 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 88% of the 103 Oregon stations. 30% of them (884) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 715. Precipitation totals 61.4 inches a year, most in December (13.0") and least in July (0.3"); May to September bring 7% of it.

The nearest other station, Grants Pass, OR, 24 miles northeast of Cave Junction and 445 feet lower, has a last frost 23 days earlier (April 8), a first frost 16 days later (October 28), a season 40 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cave Junction usually arrives around January 1, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cave Junction 1 WNW, OR, 2.5 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 85% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 62 days after the last snow.

ZIP 97523 is 3 miles from Cave Junction 1 WNW, OR, which stands at 1,377 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 97523 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.