FrostDateCheck

Manchester, VT 05155 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Manchester, VT, ZIP 05155

Zone 5a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/16, about 261 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 140 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Manchester in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 5a around Manchester has about 5 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 05/16 isn't a guarantee

05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Manchester compares

At roughly 140 frost-free days, Manchester places 37,098 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VT, it ranks 177 of 330.

Learn more

local microclimates explains what one yard in Manchester can differ from the 05155 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Manchester's frost date answer different questions.