Poway, CA 92168 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Poway, CA, ZIP 92168
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/04, roughly 188 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/04, about 270 frost-free days later.
Zone 10b (35 to 40°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 Poway, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 10b around Poway has about 14 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Poway compares
About 270 days separate Poway's last and first frost, putting it 5,535 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,955 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Poway's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Poway can differ from the 92168 normal.