Fairbanks, AK 99703 Frost Dates
Fairbanks, AK: when does the frost end?
Around 05/16 is the usual last spring frost, about 261 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 09/06, roughly 112 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fairbanks in Zone 2a (-50 to -45°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 1 week until Fairbanks's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 05/05 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/29 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Fairbanks against the rest of the dataset
Fairbanks's growing season runs about 112 days, ranking 39,409 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AK, it ranks 150 of 269.
Learn more
Before leaning on 99703's figures: zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 2a and Fairbanks's frost date answer different questions, while the frost range explains how to read the range around Fairbanks's dates instead of trusting one.