Frost dates in Alexandria, Virginia
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 Alexandria is March 24, and the average first fall frost is November 18, from NOAA's Washington Reagan Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Alexandria. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 6, and the first one by November 5. That leaves about 239 frost-free days. Alexandria is in USDA planting zone 8a.
Weather stations around Alexandria
The first row is the date most people in Alexandria go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Reagan Airport 3 mi away, 10 ft | March 24 1 in 10 after April 6 | November 18 1 in 10 by November 5 | 239 days |
| Oxon Hill 5 mi away, 190 ft | April 3 1 in 10 after April 15 | November 8 1 in 10 by October 24 | 219 days |
| Dalecarlia Rsvr 8 mi away, 150 ft | April 9 1 in 10 after April 26 | October 31 1 in 10 by October 16 | 205 days |
| Natl Arboretum Dc 9 mi away, 50 ft | March 29 1 in 10 after April 11 | November 8 1 in 10 by October 26 | 224 days |
| Vienna 12 mi away, 418 ft | April 14 1 in 10 after April 28 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 17 | 198 days |
Distances are from the middle of Alexandria 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 22302, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Alexandria 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 Virginia, station by station.
Other Virginia cities: Virginia Beach · Chesapeake · Richmond · Norfolk · Newport News
Nearby: Baltimore, MD · Philadelphia, PA
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer