Irvine, CA 92864 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Irvine, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/05, about 130 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/25, about 365 frost-free days later.
Irvine sits in USDA Zone 10b (35 to 40°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 17 weeks of growing season left in Irvine before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/05 isn't a guarantee
01/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Irvine compares
About 365 days separate Irvine's last and first frost, putting it 294 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 89 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 10b and Irvine's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Irvine's dates instead of trusting one.