Providence, RI 02828 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Providence, RI?
Around 04/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 226 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/30, about 199 frost-free days later.
Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Providence, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Providence before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
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 Providence compares
About 199 days separate Providence's last and first frost, putting it 17,971 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within RI, it ranks 11 of 79.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Providence's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Providence can differ from the 02828 normal.