Arcata, CA 95521 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Arcata, CA, ZIP 95521
Around 02/22 is the usual last spring frost, about 178 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/07, about 293 frost-free days later.
Arcata sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 9b around Arcata has about 14 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 02/22 isn't a guarantee
02/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Arcata compares
About 293 days separate Arcata's last and first frost, putting it 4,284 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,660 of 2,555.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Arcata's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Arcata can differ from the 95521 normal.