Average "Last Frost Date" (Canada)?

11 years ago

Doing a google search I was able to pull up such information for some Canadian cities but I was thinking it should be available for most if not all population centres in Canada. However I don't see it on the Weather Network site or Environment Canada. Any chance you have come across such data (for any reasonably sized Canadian city/town)?

[I posted similarly over in the Canadian forum but it seems quite quiet over there.]

Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
the last frost.. is usually a week after i decide to plant my most tender plant.. and then forget to check the forecast every night ...

you should be well enough introduced to the vagaries of mother nature.. to understand.. that no governmental information is not going to give you an 'good' answer ...

thats like combining the two most ambiguous sources.. and hoping for divine insight..

which is probably closer to reality.. praying is your only hope ...

ken
jan_on zone 5b
11 years ago
This might be useful - just cities, but many rural areas are close to a city aren't they? It's just an average afterall, so 'close' is as good as it gets!
Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: first/last frost dates
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rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
11 years ago
the last frost.. is usually a week after i decide to plant my most tender plant...

Very funny Ken :).

you should be well enough introduced to the vagaries of mother nature.. to understand.. that no governmental information is not going to give you an 'good' answer ...

I disagree completely. Knowledge is power Ken! And I think such data (weather stats) is best collected and then disseminated via a gov't agency. Having said that I cant find these #s!

Up here the Victoria Day long weekend (the holiday is the Monday preceding May 25) is considered the weekend for which most annuals get planted. But clearly this is arbitrary. And given this apparently late spring I want to get my tender plants in the ground as soon as possible ...but I dont want to be reckless. So having knowledge of the "average last frost date" for my location would be useful and worthwhile.
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks 'Jan'. I had seen this list. I am just wondering if there is an even more extensive listing of towns and cities.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
11 years ago
Average last frost date isn't a very useful number. It exists mostly for farmers to assess risk/reward for timing plantings. Unless you get a definite reward for planting out early, the 90% date is more useful.
freki
11 years ago
Ag.Can may have the info, rather than Env.Can. or ask a farmer. :-)
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
Original Author
11 years ago
UPDATE:

I was directed to a much more complete list of towns/cities (Canadian) giving these "Average First/Last Frost Dates".

It is based on data from 1950 to 1980. More recent data (from 1980 to 2010) will be incorporated and released sometime in 2013.

In any event the date shown for my city is May 18. But given that this date is based on data only up till 1980 I am betting, given our noticeably warmer temperatures since 1980, that likely the newer data will send this "Last Frost Date" forward a few days or more i.e. earlier than the 18th . It will be interesting to see if this is the case.