Weather Tidbits: Average Latest Freeze

In this edition of Weather Tidbits, we’re going to be discussing average latest freezes. With data collected from 1991-2020, the earliest last freezes during the winter along the gulf coast and the extreme southwest range from January to February. Across the mountainous terrain in the western US, average last freezes are mainly in May. Most of the central to northern plains and points east through New England are between April and May. In Delmarva, the average last freeze in Spring is the first half of April, between April 1 and April 15. However, that does not mean we can’t see a late-season freeze in May. Salisbury’s latest freeze since 1991 was May 22, 2002, where the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. There are six other May freezes as well, so at least some caution is still needed when planting in May.