FrostDateCheck

Chicopee, MA 01056 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Chicopee, MA?

Zone 6a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/03, about 248 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 164 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chicopee in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

About 7 weeks of growing season left in Chicopee before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

How much risk comes with planting early here

05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Chicopee compares

About 164 days separate Chicopee's last and first frost, putting it 30,832 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MA, it ranks 418 of 712.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Chicopee can differ from the 01056 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Chicopee's frost date answer different questions.