Manchester, NH 03038 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Manchester, NH, ZIP 03038
Around 04/30 is the usual last spring frost, about 245 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 162 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 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 Manchester, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Manchester has about 6 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 04/30 isn't a guarantee
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Manchester compares
About 162 days separate Manchester's last and first frost, putting it 31,562 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NH, it ranks 35 of 260.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Manchester can differ from the 03038 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Manchester's frost date answer different questions.