Frost dates in Maryland
Across Maryland's 43 NOAA stations with a frost every year, the typical last spring frost ranges from March 22 at Solomons (10 feet above sea level) to May 9 at Sines Deep Creek (2,040 feet above sea level). The middle station's date is April 8.
Look up your ZIP code
Last frost across Maryland
The frost-free season runs from 155 days at Sines Deep Creek to 248 days at Solomons.
The station with the latest frost sits about 2,000 feet higher than the one with the earliest.
These are typical dates: in half of springs the last frost comes later. Each place's page, and each ZIP code lookup, also gives the late-year date, after which only 1 spring in 10 has a frost. That's the safer date for tender plants.
Frost dates for Maryland's larger places
| Place | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Season | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | March 24 | November 21 | 244 days | 7b |
| Frederick | April 2 | November 6 | 218 days | 7b |
| Gaithersburg | April 1 | November 6 | 219 days | 7b |
Typical (1-in-2) dates. Each place's page has the early and late years, a planting calendar and a printable planner. Zones are for the ZIP code nearest each place's center.
Hardiness zones in Maryland
Maryland's 598 ZIP codes in the USDA list fall in zones 6a to 8a: 6a (2 percent), 6b (1 percent), 7a (16 percent), 7b (61 percent) and 8a (20 percent). Compared with the 2012 map, 76 percent of them moved to a warmer half zone (6 by a full zone or more), 24 percent stayed the same and 1 moved to a colder one.
A hardiness zone is about the coldest night of winter, which decides which shrubs, trees and perennials survive. Frost dates are about spring and fall, which decide when to plant. You need both. Read more about what the zones mean and what changed in 2023.
Every NOAA station in Maryland
All 43 stations in Maryland with frost statistics in NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, from A to Z. Station names are usually a town, an airport, or a distance and direction from a town. Find one near you and at a similar elevation.
| Station | Elevation (feet) | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Phillips Field | 60 | April 10 | October 30 | 201 |
| Annapolis Naf | 10 | March 23 | November 20 | 241 |
| Annapolis Police Barracks | 30 | March 27 | November 13 | 234 |
| Assateague | 10 | March 31 | November 15 | 228 |
| Baltimore Wash International Airport | 160 | April 10 | October 31 | 204 |
| Beltsville | 140 | April 10 | November 1 | 202 |
| Catoctin Mountain Park | 1,610 | April 14 | October 30 | 197 |
| Chestertown | 40 | April 3 | November 5 | 217 |
| Conowingo Dam | 40 | April 3 | November 6 | 217 |
| Cumberland 2 | 730 | April 15 | October 24 | 190 |
| Cylburn | 240 | April 2 | November 7 | 220 |
| Dalecarlia Reservoir | 150 | April 9 | October 31 | 202 |
| Damascus 3 SSW | 700 | April 14 | October 29 | 196 |
| Emmitsburg 2 SE | 400 | April 22 | October 20 | 179 |
| Frederick Police Barracks | 380 | April 2 | November 6 | 218 |
| Frostburg 2 | 2,170 | April 29 | October 18 | 171 |
| Glenn Dale Bell Station | 150 | April 22 | October 22 | 183 |
| Hagerstown 1 E | 530 | April 11 | October 28 | 199 |
| Hagerstown Washington Co Airport | 700 | April 7 | November 4 | 209 |
| Laurel 3 W | 400 | April 5 | November 9 | 218 |
| MD Sci Center Baltimore | 20 | March 24 | November 21 | 244 |
| Mechanicsville 5 NE | 100 | April 17 | October 27 | 195 |
| Millers 4 NE | 860 | April 19 | October 25 | 188 |
| Natl Arboretum DC | 50 | March 29 | November 8 | 224 |
| Oakland 1 SE | 2,420 | May 6 | October 9 | 156 |
| Ocean City Municipal Airport | 10 | April 7 | November 2 | 209 |
| Oxon Hill | 190 | April 3 | November 8 | 217 |
| Patuxent River NAS | 40 | March 29 | November 15 | 230 |
| Rockville 1 NE | 440 | April 1 | November 6 | 219 |
| Royal Oak 2 SSW | 10 | April 1 | November 7 | 220 |
| Salisbury | 10 | April 3 | November 7 | 217 |
| Salisbury 2 N | 20 | April 2 | November 10 | 222 |
| Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport | 50 | April 10 | October 30 | 201 |
| Savage River Dam | 1,500 | April 29 | October 20 | 174 |
| Sharpsburg 5 S | 400 | April 26 | October 18 | 175 |
| Sines Deep Creek | 2,040 | May 9 | October 11 | 155 |
| Smithsburg 2 NW | 670 | April 25 | October 19 | 176 |
| Snow Hill 4 N | 30 | April 10 | October 31 | 202 |
| Solomons | 10 | March 22 | November 26 | 248 |
| St Inigoes Webster Nolf | 20 | March 30 | November 14 | 229 |
| Stevensville 2 SW | 10 | March 29 | November 12 | 228 |
| Upper Marlboro 3 NNW | 130 | April 9 | October 29 | 203 |
| Vienna | 10 | April 8 | November 4 | 209 |
Typical (1-in-2) dates at 32°F. For the early and late years, and a planting calendar built from your own dates, look up your ZIP code.