Frost dates in Salem, Oregon

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Salem is April 3, and the average first fall frost is November 1, from NOAA's Salem Mcnary Fld station, 2 miles from the middle of Salem. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 27, and the first one by October 16. That leaves about 212 frost-free days. Salem is in USDA planting zone 8b.

Weather stations around Salem

The first row is the date most people in Salem go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Salem Mcnary Fld 2 mi away, 205 ft	April 3 1 in 10 after April 27	November 1 1 in 10 by October 16	212 days
Dallas 2 NE 13 mi away, 290 ft	April 16 1 in 10 after May 5	November 1 1 in 10 by October 13	199 days
Silverton 13 mi away, 408 ft	March 28 1 in 10 after April 19	November 10 1 in 10 by October 25	227 days
Stayton 14 mi away, 425 ft	March 29 1 in 10 after April 18	November 6 1 in 10 by October 20	222 days
Silver Creek Falls 19 mi away, 1,350 ft	April 30 1 in 10 after May 15	October 22 1 in 10 by October 2	175 days

Distances are from the middle of Salem as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 97301, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Salem covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of Oregon, station by station.

Other Oregon cities: Portland · Eugene

Nearby: Vancouver, WA · Tacoma, WA