Portsmouth, VA 23324 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Portsmouth, VA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/23, about 207 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/16, about 239 frost-free days later.
Portsmouth sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°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 11 weeks of growing season left in Portsmouth before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/23 isn't a guarantee
03/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Portsmouth compares
Portsmouth's growing season runs about 239 days, ranking 8,755 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VA, it ranks 59 of 1,178.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Portsmouth's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Portsmouth's dates instead of trusting one.