Blue Lake, CA 95563 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Blue Lake, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/16, about 231 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/31, about 197 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Blue Lake in Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 9 weeks of growing season left in Blue Lake before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/16 isn't a guarantee
04/16 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. 05/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Blue Lake compares
About 197 days separate Blue Lake's last and first frost, putting it 18,728 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,297 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Blue Lake can differ from the 95563 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9a and Blue Lake's frost date answer different questions.