Frost dates in Chesapeake, 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 Chesapeake is March 23, and the average first fall frost is November 18, from NOAA's Fentress Naas station, 9 miles from the middle of Chesapeake. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 7, and the first one by November 4. That leaves about 240 frost-free days. Chesapeake is in USDA planting zone 8a.

Weather stations around Chesapeake

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

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Fentress Naas 9 mi away, 16 ft	March 23 1 in 10 after April 7	November 18 1 in 10 by November 4	240 days
Wallaceton-Lake Drummond 10 mi away, 20 ft	April 20 1 in 10 after May 9	October 27 1 in 10 by October 17	190 days
Norfolk S 14 mi away, 10 ft	March 23 1 in 10 after April 6	November 16 1 in 10 by November 4	238 days
Norfolk Intl Airport 17 mi away, 30 ft	March 17 1 in 10 after March 31	November 23 1 in 10 by November 8	251 days
Suffolk Lake Kilby 17 mi away, 22 ft	March 27 1 in 10 after April 9	November 15 1 in 10 by November 2	233 days

Distances are from the middle of Chesapeake 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 23322, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Chesapeake 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 · Richmond · Norfolk · Newport News · Alexandria