Your garden's climate
Frost dates, growing season, rain and sunshine for anywhere in the UK, worked out from thirty years of Met Office records.
Map
Inverness, Highland
Averages for 1994 to 2023, for the 1km square around this point.
Frost
Last spring frost
19 April
Safer from 13 May
First autumn frost
6 November
Can come as early as 20 October
Frost-free season
201 days
Between the typical last and first frosts
Hardiness zone
USDA 9a
RHS H4 · coldest night of a typical winter around −6.5°C
Frost likely Some risk Safe for tender plants in nine years out of ten
Hard frosts, below −2°C, usually finish by 17 March. Hardy crops and fleece-covered sowings can go out from about then.
The last spring frost now comes 7 days later than it did in 1964 to 1993, when it was around 12 April.
Through the year
Ground frost is measured on grass, and comes weeks either side of air frost. It is what catches seedlings on the soil surface.
Growing
Growing season
304 days
From the first spell above 5°C in spring to the first below it in autumn
Hot days
4 a year
Above 25°C, when lettuce and peas tend to bolt
Longest dry spell
15 days
In a typical April to September, with under 1mm of rain a day
Warmth for tender crops
- Squash and courgettesUsually ripens outdoors
- Outdoor tomatoesPossible in a good year, or somewhere sheltered
- SweetcornPossible in a good year, or somewhere sheltered
- Outdoor chillies and peppersNeeds a greenhouse or polytunnel here
From summer warmth only. Shelter, a south-facing wall or a cold frame all help.
Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright, from HadUK-Grid, used under the Open Government Licence v3. Place search by postcodes.io. These are averages, not a forecast, and a frost pocket or a sheltered wall can shift your garden by weeks either way.