Oakdale, CA 95230 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Oakdale, CA?
Around 02/20 is the usual last spring frost, about 176 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/11, about 290 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oakdale 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 15 weeks of growing season left in Oakdale before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/20 isn't a guarantee
02/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Oakdale compares
About 290 days separate Oakdale's last and first frost, putting it 4,490 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,699 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Oakdale can differ from the 95230 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Oakdale's frost date answer different questions.