Richmond, VA Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

In a typical year the final freeze of spring reaches Richmond around April 3, and the first freeze of autumn returns around November 4. NOAA's normals call the frost-free stretch between them 215 days long.

Put April 18 and October 23 on the calendar as well. A spring freeze after the first of them, or a fall freeze before the second, happens in only one year out of ten, so those dates cover nine years in ten. Richmond lands within a couple of weeks of the middle of the 100 cities covered here, whose median season is 229 days.

The numbers belong to Richmond International AP, NOAA station USW00013740, which sits 8.7 miles east of the Census Bureau's internal point for Richmond at an elevation of about 160 feet.

Last spring frost in Richmond

Frost is still possible on March 19 in nine springs out of ten and on April 3 in five; only one spring in ten sees a freeze as late as April 18.

The early and late dates sit just 30 days apart, narrower than for most cities on these pages. Spring in Richmond rarely surprises by much.

When is the first frost in Richmond?

Expect the first freeze of fall by November 4 in a typical year. One year in ten brings it by October 23, and nine in ten have had it by November 19.

The early and late fall dates are only 27 days apart, a narrow band next to most cities here, so the first freeze keeps close to its schedule in Richmond.

The growing season in Richmond

The season is about as long as the middle of these pages. A short year costs just 20 days against a typical one (195 days against 215 days), so a season-length plan for Richmond holds up in most years.

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.

When a hard freeze reaches Richmond

NOAA's even-odds hard freeze dates for Richmond are November 15 in fall and March 22 in spring, 11 days and 12 days from the matching 32°F dates. The late 28°F spring date, April 5, is the one that still catches blooms and young transplants one year in ten, and the early fall date, November 2, is when a hard freeze has arrived in one fall out of ten.

What this means for planting in Richmond

The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet times each crop from the last frost. For Richmond's typical date, April 3, that means cabbage on March 6, lettuce from March 6 to March 13, seed potatoes from March 20 to March 27, and, once the frost is behind you, peppers on April 17 and beans on or after April 3. Peas have no frost-based date in the University of New Hampshire Extension sheet: they go in as soon as the soil thaws.

From the late date, April 18, every tender crop moves back 15 days; that buys protection against a spring only one year in ten brings.

Fall crops are counted back from the first frost, using NC State Extension's days to harvest plus University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days. In Richmond only 32 of the 34 crops in the fall planner have a last planting day in July or later, and the other 2 would have to go in before then, in spring or early summer. The slowest crop that still fits is lima/pole beans, which needs 113 days before the early first frost and so must be in by July 2.

Worked example: setting out tomatoes in Richmond

Suppose you want tomatoes in Richmond. University of New Hampshire Extension says to set transplants out one to two weeks after the last frost. Counting from the typical date, April 3, the window runs from April 10 to April 17. Counting from the late date, April 18, it moves to April 25 through May 2, which is 15 days later.

To have transplants ready on the first day of the late window, sow seeds six to eight weeks earlier, between February 28 and March 14.

Between the last set-out day and the early first frost on October 23 lie 174 days. Tomatoes need 75 to 85 days by NC State Extension's count, so the schedule has 89 days of slack even in an early-frost year.

About the Richmond International AP station

At 8.7 miles east, the station is some distance from Richmond, so parts of the city may not match its record.

Its elevation is about 160 feet. Of the 100 stations behind these pages, 76 sit higher and 23 lower. Its completeness flag is S, which NOAA uses for a standard record.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Richmond, we cannot say how far your yard is above or below this station. When yours is clearly higher or lower, open the nearby stations in the frost dates tool and favor the colder one.

How Richmond's frost dates compare

Richmond sits in a cluster: Norfolk, VA is only 80 miles away, and the other two cities below are not much farther, so gaps in their dates come from local setting.

• Norfolk, VA lies 80 miles south-east of Richmond. Typical last frost March 16, first frost November 26, 255 days between; the last frost is 18 days earlier than in Richmond, and the frost-free season is 40 days longer than Richmond's.
• Chesapeake, VA lies 87 miles south-east of Richmond. Typical last frost March 23, first frost November 18, 240 days between; spring frost ends 11 days sooner than in Richmond, and it has 25 days more without frost.
• Virginia Beach, VA, 95 miles to the south-east: last frost March 29, first frost November 12, 230 days frost-free; spring frost ends 5 days sooner than in Richmond, and the season runs 15 days longer.

Take these dates further

Start with the spring planting planner for the whole crop list counted from these dates, and the fall planting planner for the last planting days. The frost dates tool shows every level of risk at this station, and the hardiness zone lookup covers winter survival for shrubs and perennials.

Every city covered is on the city frost dates index, sorted by state.

For Virginia, the state planting pages copy the Extension calendar (Virginia Cooperative Extension) crop by crop and region by region: tomatoes in Virginia, peppers in Virginia, cucumbers in Virginia, summer squash in Virginia, green beans in Virginia, potatoes in Virginia. Set those windows beside the frost dates above.

Where these numbers come from

Every frost and freeze date comes from the station's entry in NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), with no adjustment, and NOAA's documentation explains what each probability means. Richmond and its internal point are listed in the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer of places; its place in the ranking comes from the Vintage 2024 population estimates, which count 233,655 residents.

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. The methodology page explains how each figure is checked.

These dates describe odds over many years, not next week's weather. Look at the forecast before you plant, and keep a sheet or row cover ready for a night that does not follow the odds.