FrostDateCheck

Bishop, CA 89013 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Bishop, CA?

Zone 7b

Around 04/27 is the usual last spring frost, about 242 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 174 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bishop in Zone 7b (5 to 10°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Bishop 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

04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Bishop compares

About 174 days separate Bishop's last and first frost, putting it 27,459 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,368 of 2,555.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Bishop can differ from the 89013 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Bishop's frost date answer different questions.