Merced, CA 95325 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Merced, CA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/03, roughly 187 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/24, about 263 frost-free days later.
Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 Merced, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 13 weeks of growing season left in Merced before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/03 isn't a guarantee
03/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Merced compares
About 263 days separate Merced's last and first frost, putting it 6,091 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,014 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Merced's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Merced can differ from the 95325 normal.