Frost dates in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk is March 16, and the average first fall frost is November 26, from NOAA's Norfolk NAS station, 3 miles from the middle of Norfolk. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 1, and the first one by November 8. That leaves about 255 frost-free days. Norfolk is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around Norfolk
The first row is the date most people in Norfolk go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk NAS 3 mi away, 17 ft | March 16 1 in 10 after April 1 | November 26 1 in 10 by November 8 | 255 days |
| Norfolk Intl Airport 3 mi away, 30 ft | March 17 1 in 10 after March 31 | November 23 1 in 10 by November 8 | 251 days |
| Norfolk S 4 mi away, 10 ft | March 23 1 in 10 after April 6 | November 16 1 in 10 by November 4 | 238 days |
| Langley AFB 13 mi away, 10 ft | March 24 1 in 10 after April 6 | November 15 1 in 10 by November 3 | 236 days |
| Oceana NAS 14 mi away, 23 ft | March 29 1 in 10 after April 11 | November 12 1 in 10 by November 1 | 228 days |
Distances are from the middle of Norfolk 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 23518, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Norfolk 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 · Newport News · Alexandria
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