Chowchilla, CA 93653 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chowchilla, CA?
Around 02/12 is the usual last spring frost, about 168 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/30, about 293 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chowchilla in Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 13 weeks of growing season left in Chowchilla before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/12 isn't a guarantee
02/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chowchilla compares
About 293 days separate Chowchilla's last and first frost, putting it 4,282 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,658 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Chowchilla's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Chowchilla can differ from the 93653 normal.