Chico, CA 95938 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chico, CA?
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.
Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 Chico, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 16 weeks of growing season left in Chico before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Chico's last frost
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
Chico's growing season runs about 313 days, ranking 3,438 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,433 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Chico can differ from the 95938 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9a and Chico's frost date answer different questions.