Oakland, CA 94605 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Oakland, CA?
Around 01/07 is the usual last spring frost, about 132 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/23, about 356 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oakland 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 17 weeks of growing season left in Oakland before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/07 isn't a guarantee
01/07 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Oakland compares
At roughly 356 frost-free days, Oakland places 2,096 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CA, it ranks 962 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Oakland can differ from the 94605 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Oakland's frost date answer different questions.