Washington, DC 20026 Frost Dates
Washington, DC: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/29, about 213 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 11/08, roughly 224 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Washington 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 Washington's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 03/15 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 04/11 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Washington against the rest of the dataset
Washington's growing season runs about 224 days, ranking 11,530 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within DC, it ranks 58 of 246.
Learn more
Before leaning on 20026's figures: the frost range explains how to read the range around Washington's dates instead of trusting one, while local microclimates explains what one yard in Washington can differ from the 20026 normal.