West Cape May, NJ 08204 Frost Dates
West Cape May, NJ: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/01, about 216 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 11/09, roughly 222 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts West Cape May in Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 10 weeks until West Cape May's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 04/01 isn't a guarantee
04/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 03/19 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 04/15 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
West Cape May against the rest of the dataset
West Cape May's growing season runs about 222 days, ranking 12,288 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NJ, it ranks 256 of 906.
Learn more
Before leaning on 08204's figures: the frost range explains how to read the range around West Cape May's dates instead of trusting one, while local microclimates explains what one yard in West Cape May can differ from the 08204 normal.