Chico, CA 95929 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Chico, CA, ZIP 95929
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/07, about 163 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/18, about 313 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chico 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
Zone 9a around Chico 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 02/07 isn't a guarantee
02/07 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chico compares
At roughly 313 frost-free days, Chico places 3,437 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CA, it ranks 1,432 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Chico can differ from the 95929 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9a and Chico's frost date answer different questions.