Newport, RI 02882 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Newport, RI?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 163 frost-free days later.
Newport sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Newport 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
05/01 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. 05/18 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Newport compares
Newport's growing season runs about 163 days, ranking 31,324 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within RI, it ranks 61 of 79.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Newport's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Newport's dates instead of trusting one.