USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 98365 — Port Ludlow, Washington
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Quilcene 2 SW, WA (123 ft), 12 miles southwest.
Updated
In Port Ludlow, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 11 in half of years and has passed by May 1 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 28, as early as October 13 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 199 days (NOAA, Quilcene 2 SW, WA).
- Last spring frost
- April 11
- First fall frost
- October 28
- Growing season
- 199 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 19%
- Snow per year
- 0.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
3 of 16 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Port Ludlow
Half of springs at Quilcene 2 SW, WA see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 21, and one in ten still has one after May 1. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 26 20%, and after May 1 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 52% of the 113 Washington stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 18 days later, around November 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 31, 31 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 199 days in a typical year, longer than at 57% of the 113 Washington stations; it reaches 227 days one year in ten and falls short of 173 one year in ten. On average 83 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 21 days longer, to about May 2, and return around October 12. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 97% of winters and 16°F in 29%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 13 | May 17 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 26 | May 1 |
| 28°F | Feb 13 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 13 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 31 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Dec 24 | Jan 7 | Jan 24 | Feb 3 | Feb 11 | Feb 17 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 |
| 20°F67% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 14 | Dec 25 | Jan 3 | Jan 12 | Jan 23 | Feb 1 | Feb 12 | Feb 21 |
| 16°F29% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 13 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 15 |
| 28°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 30 | Dec 7 |
| 24°F97% of yrs | Nov 10 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 | Dec 28 | Jan 10 |
| 20°F67% of yrs | Nov 23 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 16 | Feb 3 |
| 16°F29% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Quilcene 2 SW, WA, 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 98365 →Compare Port Ludlow with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Port Townsend, WA, 15 miles north of Port Ludlow, has a last frost 41 days earlier (March 1), a first frost 31 days later (November 28), a season 75 days longer.
When it snows in Port Ludlow, Washington
Measurable snow is rare here: only 3 of 16 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Port Townsend, WA, 14.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 98365
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 31 – February 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 14 – February 28 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 11 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 5 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 14 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 28 onward | Plant 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 98365 is 12 miles from Quilcene 2 SW, WA, which stands at 123 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 98365 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 Washington →
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.