Montpelier, VT 05660 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Montpelier, VT, ZIP 05660
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/18, roughly 263 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/28, about 133 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Montpelier 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 Montpelier has about 4 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Montpelier compares
Montpelier's growing season runs about 133 days, ranking 38,047 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VT, it ranks 246 of 330.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Montpelier's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Montpelier can differ from the 05660 normal.