Charlottesville, VA 22947 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Charlottesville, VA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/05, about 220 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/04, about 213 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Charlottesville, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 10 weeks of growing season left in Charlottesville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/05 isn't a guarantee
04/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Charlottesville compares
About 213 days separate Charlottesville's last and first frost, putting it 14,441 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VA, it ranks 382 of 1,178.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Charlottesville's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Charlottesville's dates instead of trusting one.