Frost dates / Virginia

Frost dates in Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach is March 29, and the average first fall frost is November 12, from NOAA's Oceana NAS station, 3 miles from the middle of Virginia Beach. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 11, and the first one by November 1. That leaves about 228 frost-free days. Virginia Beach is in USDA planting zone 8b.

Weather stations around Virginia Beach

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

StationLast spring frostFirst fall frostFrost-free
Oceana NAS
3 mi away, 23 ft
March 29
1 in 10 after April 11
November 12
1 in 10 by November 1
228 days
Fentress Naas
8 mi away, 16 ft
March 23
1 in 10 after April 7
November 18
1 in 10 by November 4
240 days
Norfolk Intl Airport
12 mi away, 30 ft
March 17
1 in 10 after March 31
November 23
1 in 10 by November 8
251 days
Norfolk S
13 mi away, 10 ft
March 23
1 in 10 after April 6
November 16
1 in 10 by November 4
238 days
Norfolk NAS
18 mi away, 17 ft
March 16
1 in 10 after April 1
November 26
1 in 10 by November 8
255 days

Distances are from the middle of Virginia Beach 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 23453, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Virginia Beach 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: Chesapeake · Richmond · Norfolk · Newport News · Alexandria

Where the numbers come from

Get the new ones by email

We're adding more. Put your email in and we'll send one short note each time there's a new yard calculator.

No spam. Unsubscribe any time.