Chesapeake, VA 23327 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chesapeake, VA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/23, roughly 207 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/18, about 240 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chesapeake in Zone 8a (10 to 15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 12 weeks of growing season left in Chesapeake before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chesapeake compares
About 240 days separate Chesapeake's last and first frost, putting it 8,662 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VA, it ranks 45 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Chesapeake can differ from the 23327 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Chesapeake's frost date answer different questions.