FrostDateCheck

Montpelier, VT 05682 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Montpelier, VT, ZIP 05682

Zone 5a

Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 153 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 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 05/04 isn't a guarantee

05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/23 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 Montpelier compares

About 153 days separate Montpelier's last and first frost, putting it 34,501 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 51 of 330.

Learn more

local microclimates explains what one yard in Montpelier can differ from the 05682 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Montpelier's frost date answer different questions.