Your nature year
Reno, Nevadathrough the year
Also for Sparks, NV: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Reno?
Head northwest for the closest of the 3 places we follow around Reno. For a day trip, Lassen Volcanic is 109 miles off; its wildflowers is May 21–Sep 30 (local timing). Hat Creek Rim (115 mi) is the pick for fall foliage, usually well under way by late October (statewide). Frost usually lets go around Apr 28 and comes back around Oct 27, according to NOAA's Reno Wfo station, 3.2 miles away: roughly 182 days without it. Spring green-up reaches town around Mar 18, with first blooms around May 3.
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Reno's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 28 to ~Oct 27
- First leaf ~Mar 18
- First bloom ~May 3
- Today
Near Reno right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 27 · last spring frost around Apr 28NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Reno Wfo (3.2 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Lassen Volcanic · 109 mi · Local timing: May 21–Sep 30Wildflowers · in its window now
- Fall foliage · Hat Creek Rim · 115 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
Reno's nature year
- Spring green-upMar
- Last spring frostApr
- Wildflowers · Lassen VolcanicNowMay–Sep
- First fall frostOct
- Fall foliage · Hat Creek RimOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Hat Creek Rim · 115 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
- Yosemite · 127 miusually Oct 11–31~13 days
Wildflowers
- Lassen Volcanic · 109 miLocal timing: May 21–Sep 30
- Yosemite · 127 miLocal timing: Mar 1–Aug 31~5 months
Snow in Reno
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 6 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Reno Wfo (3.2 mi away): 30 inches of snow in an average year, about 8.5 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 28
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 27
About 182 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 18
First bloom around May 3
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Reno Wfo (3.2 mi from Reno), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Reno?
On average around Oct 27, and the last spring frost around Apr 28: about 182 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Reno Wfo, 3.2 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Reno?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 18 and first bloom around May 3, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Reno?
Hat Creek Rim, 115 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October); Yosemite, 127 miles (usually Oct 11–31). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see wildflowers near Reno?
Lassen Volcanic, 109 miles (local timing: May 21–Sep 30); Yosemite, 127 miles (local timing: Mar 1–Aug 31). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Reno?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 6: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Reno Wfo. An average year brings 30 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)