Manchester, VT 05340 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Manchester, VT, ZIP 05340
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/16, roughly 261 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 140 frost-free days later.
Manchester sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 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
About 140 days separate Manchester's last and first frost, putting it 37,101 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 180 of 330.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Manchester's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Manchester can differ from the 05340 normal.