When to plant in Lake Forest, CA
Planting dates worked out from Lake Forest's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Frost is rare in Lake Forest: in 12 of the last 15 springs there was none at all. Frost dates matter less here than heat, so the planting table below is left out.
Safe to plant out
Jan 15
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jan 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Dec 29
1 year in 10 by Dec 24
Frost-free days
362
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Irvine Rch · 8.7 km away · station 165 m, town 148 m. How we match towns to stations
Lake Forest's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 363 |
| 2007 | 350 |
| 2009 | 363 |
| 2010 | 362 |
| 2011 | 348 |
| 2012 | 351 |
| 2013 | 349 |
| 2014 | 363 |
| 2015 | 360 |
| 2016 | 363 |
| 2017 | 363 |
| 2018 | 305 |
| 2019 | 363 |
| 2020 | 363 |
| 2021 | 363 |
| 2022 | 363 |
| 2023 | 297 |
| 2024 | 363 |
| 2025 | 363 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 22.0 °C |
| 2005 | 21.2 °C |
| 2006 | 21.8 °C |
| 2007 | 21.4 °C |
| 2010 | 19.7 °C |
| 2011 | 20.6 °C |
| 2012 | 21.1 °C |
| 2013 | 21.1 °C |
| 2014 | 23.3 °C |
| 2015 | 22.3 °C |
| 2016 | 23.0 °C |
| 2017 | 22.0 °C |
| 2018 | 22.1 °C |
| 2019 | 21.8 °C |
| 2020 | 22.4 °C |
| 2021 | 21.9 °C |
| 2022 | 22.6 °C |
| 2023 | 19.2 °C |
| 2024 | 21.7 °C |
| 2025 | 21.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Irvine Rch (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.