Ridgefield, WA 98642 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Ridgefield, WA, ZIP 98642
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/10, about 225 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 209 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ridgefield in Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 8b around Ridgefield has about 9 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 04/10 isn't a guarantee
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ridgefield compares
About 209 days separate Ridgefield's last and first frost, putting it 15,173 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WA, it ranks 276 of 700.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Ridgefield's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Ridgefield can differ from the 98642 normal.