South Lake Tahoe, CA 89413 Frost Dates
Frost dates for South Lake Tahoe, CA, ZIP 89413
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 06/05, roughly 281 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 126 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts South Lake Tahoe in Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
Zone 7a around South Lake Tahoe has about 6 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.
Why 06/05 isn't a guarantee
06/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How South Lake Tahoe compares
About 126 days separate South Lake Tahoe's last and first frost, putting it 38,679 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,478 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 7a and South Lake Tahoe's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around South Lake Tahoe's dates instead of trusting one.