Washington, VA 22740 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Washington, VA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/16, about 231 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 192 frost-free days later.
Washington sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Washington before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/16 isn't a guarantee
04/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Washington compares
At roughly 192 frost-free days, Washington places 20,595 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VA, it ranks 802 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Washington can differ from the 22740 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Washington's frost date answer different questions.