Lowell, MA 01851 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lowell, MA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/30, about 245 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 164 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lowell in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Lowell before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/30 isn't a guarantee
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lowell compares
At roughly 164 frost-free days, Lowell places 30,805 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MA, it ranks 410 of 712.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Lowell's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Lowell's dates instead of trusting one.