Alturas, CA 96056 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Alturas, CA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/29, roughly 274 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/19, about 113 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Alturas in Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 3 weeks of growing season left in Alturas before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Alturas's last frost
05/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/23 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Alturas compares
About 113 days separate Alturas's last and first frost, putting it 39,391 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 2,499 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Alturas can differ from the 96056 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Alturas's frost date answer different questions.