Chelsea, MA 02128 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Chelsea, MA, ZIP 02128
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/04, about 219 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/09, about 218 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Chelsea, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 7a around Chelsea has about 10 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/25 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chelsea compares
About 218 days separate Chelsea's last and first frost, putting it 13,190 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MA, it ranks 25 of 712.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Chelsea can differ from the 02128 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 7a and Chelsea's frost date answer different questions.