Frost dates in Vancouver, Washington
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 Vancouver is March 29, and the average first fall frost is November 9, from NOAA's Vancouver Pearson Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Vancouver. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 18, and the first one by October 22. That leaves about 225 frost-free days. Vancouver is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around Vancouver
The first row is the date most people in Vancouver go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Pearson Airport 3 mi away, 30 ft | March 29 1 in 10 after April 18 | November 9 1 in 10 by October 22 | 225 days |
| Portland Intl Airport 3 mi away, 19 ft | March 13 1 in 10 after April 1 | November 19 1 in 10 by October 29 | 251 days |
| Vancouver 4 NNE 4 mi away, 210 ft | April 26 1 in 10 after May 10 | October 18 1 in 10 by October 1 | 175 days |
| Portland Wfo 6 mi away, 21 ft | March 13 1 in 10 after April 5 | November 22 1 in 10 by November 3 | 254 days |
| Portland Kgw-Tv 9 mi away, 159 ft | February 25 1 in 10 after March 21 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 10 | 279 days |
Distances are from the middle of Vancouver 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 98661, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Vancouver 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 Washington, station by station.
Other Washington cities: Seattle · Spokane · Tacoma · Bellevue
Nearby: Portland, OR · Salem, OR · Eugene, OR
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