Portola, CA 95984 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Portola, CA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/22, about 267 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/25, about 122 frost-free days later.
Portola sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°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
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Portola before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Portola compares
About 122 days separate Portola's last and first frost, putting it 38,945 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,491 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Portola can differ from the 95984 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8a and Portola's frost date answer different questions.