Newark, NJ Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

In a typical year the final freeze of spring reaches Newark around April 4, and the first freeze of autumn returns around November 6. NOAA's normals call the frost-free stretch between them 216 days long.

Because half of all years do worse than the typical date, the dates that matter for tender plants are the late spring date, April 16, and the early fall date, October 25, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. At 216 days, Newark's typical season sits close to the 229 days median of the 100 cities on these pages.

Behind every date on this page is one weather station, Harrison (NOAA USC00283704), 2.0 miles north-east of Newark's internal point in the Census Bureau's files and about 20 feet up.

When is the last frost in Newark?

Frost is still possible on March 23 in nine springs out of ten and on April 4 in five; only one spring in ten sees a freeze as late as April 16.

Only 24 days separate the earliest and latest of these dates, a tighter run than most of the 100 cities here, so the typical date is a fairly dependable guide in Newark.

First fall frost in Newark

A first freeze on or before October 25 happens one fall in ten. By November 6 half of years have had one, and by November 22 nine years in ten have.

Just 28 days separate the early and late dates, tighter than most cities on these pages.

Newark's frost-free season

The season is about as long as the middle of these pages. Seasons here barely vary: the typical year gives 216 days and a short one still gives 197 days, only 19 days less, a steadier record than most cities on these pages.

These figures are NOAA's own counts of freeze-free days across its simulated years, which is why they can differ a little from the days between the two typical dates. A night at or below 32°F happens in 100% of years at this station, so frost is a yearly event here.

28°F dates in Newark

Between a light frost and a hard freeze there is little room in Newark: the typical 28°F dates are November 19 and March 26, just 13 days and 9 days from the 32°F dates. At the edges, a 28°F night on or after April 5 happens one spring in ten and one by November 5 one fall in ten; the nine-in-ten dates are March 11 and December 5.

What this means for planting in Newark

In Newark the University of New Hampshire Extension count lands like this, measured from the typical last frost on April 4: lettuce from March 7 to March 14, cabbage on March 7, seed potatoes from March 21 to March 28, then peppers on April 18 and beans from April 4. The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet gives peas no frost count at all; sow them as soon as the soil thaws.

The late date comes 12 days after the typical one; choose it for plants you cannot cover.

Newark's first frost leaves room for only 32 of the 34 fall crops, counting back NC State Extension's days to harvest and University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days; for the other 2 the last planting day falls before July. Of the crops that fit, lima/pole beans is the slowest: 113 days from planting to the early frost, which makes July 4 its last day.

Worked example: tomatoes in Newark

Suppose you want tomatoes in Newark. University of New Hampshire Extension says to set transplants out one to two weeks after the last frost. Counting from the typical date, April 4, the window runs from April 11 to April 18. Counting from the late date, April 16, it moves to April 23 through April 30, which is 12 days later.

Indoors, tomato seeds go in six to eight weeks ahead of set-out; from the first day of the late window that is February 26 to March 12.

Between the last set-out day and the early first frost on October 25 lie 178 days. Tomatoes need 75 to 85 days by NC State Extension's count, so the schedule has 93 days of slack even in an early-frost year.

About the Harrison station

2.0 miles north-east of Newark's internal point is where the station stands, a very short distance.

Its elevation is about 20 feet. Of the 100 stations behind these pages, 89 sit higher and 10 lower. NOAA flags this station's record as representative, the code R, for the data behind its 50% last-frost value.

The Census Gazetteer gives no elevation for Newark itself, so this page cannot tell you whether your garden sits above or below the station. If it is noticeably higher or lower, compare the stations the frost dates tool lists nearby and lean toward the colder reading.

How Newark's frost dates compare

Newark sits in a cluster: New York, NY is only 13 miles away, and the other two cities below are not much farther, so gaps in their dates come from local setting.

• New York, NY, 13 miles to the east: last frost April 1, first frost November 19, 233 days frost-free; spring frost ends about when it does in Newark, and the season runs 17 days longer.
• Yonkers, NY, 22 miles to the north-east: last frost April 20, first frost October 26, 189 days frost-free; spring frost lingers 16 days longer than in Newark, and the frost-free season is 27 days shorter than Newark's.
• Philadelphia, PA, 71 miles to the south-west: last frost March 30, first frost November 17, 232 days frost-free; spring frost ends 5 days sooner than in Newark, and the frost-free season is 16 days longer than Newark's.

Take these dates further

Open the frost dates tool with this station already chosen to see the whole ladder of probability dates, or try the nearby stations in the same list. The spring planting planner and the fall planting planner turn the same dates into a full crop list, and the hardiness zone lookup tells you which perennials will survive the winter.

Looking for another city? The city frost dates index lists every page, grouped by state.

Where these numbers come from

The frost and freeze dates are NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), copied from the station's own record without adjustment; NOAA's documentation defines each probability. The Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer places Newark on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 317,303 people here, decide which cities get a page.

University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension supply the planting rules; this page only counts them from the station's dates. Our methodology describes the tests behind every number.

Frost dates are long-term odds, not a forecast. Before you plant, check the local forecast for the coming week, and keep row cover or old sheets handy for the nights the odds get wrong.