Novato, CA 94949 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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
About 349 days separate Novato's last and first frost, putting it 2,331 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,037 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Novato can differ from the 94949 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Novato's frost date answer different questions.