U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00448192 · Virginia

Frost Dates near Suffolk, VA

NOAA weather station Suffolk Lake Kilby (USC00448192), Virginia · elevation 22 ft (7 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

Suffolk is the nearest town to the station (0.9 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 9only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 2750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season233 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Suffolk, VASpring: a frost after March 10 in 9 years out of 10, after March 27 in half of the years, after April 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 2 in 1 year out of 10, before November 15 in half of the years, before December 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 233 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 27First frost ~Nov 15Frost season near Suffolk, VASpring: a frost after March 10 in 9 years out of 10, after March 27 in half of the years, after April 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 2 in 1 year out of 10, before November 15 in half of the years, before December 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 233 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 27First frost ~Nov 15
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 9November 2
50% (typical)March 27November 15
90% (likely)March 10December 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
233 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 15
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 27 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 13 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 233 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Suffolk: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 9, 20% April 5, 30% April 1, 40% March 30, 50% March 27, 60% March 23, 70% March 20, 80% March 16, 90% March 10. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 2, 2022 March 29, 2023 March 21, 2024 March 19, 2025 April 11, 2026 March 29.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 9Mar 27Mar 102021: April 22022: March 292023: March 212024: March 192025: April 112026: March 29Fall near Suffolk: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 2, 20% November 6, 30% November 9, 40% November 12, 50% November 15, 60% November 18, 70% November 22, 80% November 27, 90% December 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 23, 2022 November 18, 2023 November 28, 2024 November 30, 2025 November 28.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 2Nov 15Dec 12021: November 232022: November 182023: November 282024: November 302025: November 28
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 2November 23
2022March 29November 18
2023March 21November 28
2024March 19November 30
2025April 11November 28
2026March 29season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 9 carries a 10 % chance of a light frost later, so it is the cautious date for setting out tender crops in the Suffolk area. Waiting until this point lets gardeners begin planting with a markedly reduced frost risk compared with earlier dates.

March 10 bears a 90 % chance of a light frost later, making an early planting a gamble, while November 2 holds a 10 % chance of a light frost earlier, giving a cautious deadline for finishing tender-crop harvests. The 50 % dates are March 27 in spring and November 15 in fall; at those moments a light frost is equally likely to occur, marking the central point of the frost-risk window.

The hard-frost median dates are March 15 in spring and December 1 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 9" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before November 2" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Suffolk, VANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Holland, VA — 10 mi; 2 — Norfolk, VA — 26 mi; 3 — Wakefield, VA — 29 mi; 4 — Williamsburg, VA — 40 mi; 5 — Edenton, NC — 49 mi.NC25 mi · 40 km1. Holland, VA — 10 mi12. Norfolk, VA — 26 mi23. Wakefield, VA — 29 mi34. Williamsburg, VA — 40 mi45. Edenton, NC — 49 mi5
  1. Holland, VA 10 mi (16 km)
  2. Norfolk, VA 26 mi (41 km)
  3. Wakefield, VA 29 mi (46 km)
  4. Williamsburg, VA 40 mi (64 km)
  5. Edenton, NC 49 mi (79 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 36.7297, -76.6014.