Novato, CA 94945 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Novato, CA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/11, roughly 136 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/21, about 349 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Novato 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 16 weeks of growing season left in Novato before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Novato's last frost
01/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/25 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 Novato compares
Novato's growing season runs about 349 days, ranking 2,329 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,035 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Novato's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Novato can differ from the 94945 normal.