FrostDateCheck

Richmond, CA 94801 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Richmond, CA, ZIP 94801

Zone 10a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/04, roughly 129 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/02, about 365 frost-free days later.

Zone 10a (30 to 35°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 Richmond, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 10a around Richmond has about 18 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.

The actual range around Richmond's last frost

01/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/26 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 Richmond compares

Richmond's growing season runs about 365 days, ranking 451 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 176 of 2,555.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 10a and Richmond's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Richmond's dates instead of trusting one.