FrostDateCheck

Madison, VA 22743 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Madison, VA, ZIP 22743

Zone 6b

Around 04/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 238 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 179 frost-free days later.

Madison sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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

Zone 6b around Madison has about 8 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

04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Madison compares

Madison's growing season runs about 179 days, ranking 25,502 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VA, it ranks 1,042 of 1,178.

Learn more

local microclimates explains what one yard in Madison can differ from the 22743 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Madison's frost date answer different questions.