Cranston, RI 02816 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Cranston, RI, ZIP 02816
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/11, roughly 226 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/30, about 199 frost-free days later.
Cranston sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6b around Cranston has about 9 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.
Why 04/11 isn't a guarantee
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/23 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Cranston compares
About 199 days separate Cranston's last and first frost, putting it 17,988 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within RI, it ranks 25 of 79.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Cranston can differ from the 02816 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Cranston's frost date answer different questions.