Novato, CA 94998 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Novato, CA, ZIP 94998
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/11, about 136 days from today. 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
Zone 9b around Novato has about 16 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.
Why 01/11 isn't a guarantee
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 2,332 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,038 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Novato can differ from the 94998 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9b and Novato's frost date answer different questions.