Your nature year
Santa Rosa, Californiathrough the year
Also for Napa, CA, Petaluma, CA, Rohnert Park, CA, Windsor, CA: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Santa Rosa?
For a day trip, Point Reyes is 35 miles off; its wildflowers is Feb 1–Aug 31 (local timing). Santa Rosa usually sees its last spring frost around Feb 25 and its first fall frost around Dec 1, a frost-free stretch of about 279 days at NOAA's Santa Rosa station, 0.8 miles away. Spring takes about 5 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Jan 30 and first bloom around Mar 3. We follow 3 places within 150 miles of Santa Rosa; the nearest lies 35 miles to the southwest. Across California, fall color is usually well under way by late October.
Updated Sep 28. 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)
Santa Rosa's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Feb 25 to ~Dec 1
- First leaf ~Jan 30
- First bloom ~Mar 3
- Fall color under way ~Oct 28 (CA)
- Today
Near Santa Rosa right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in CaliforniaStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Dec 1 · last spring frost around Feb 25NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Santa Rosa (0.8 mi, 50% dates)~2 months
- Wildflowers · Point Reyes · 35 miLocal timing: Feb 1–Aug 31~4 months
Santa Rosa's nature year
- Spring green-upJan
- Wildflowers · Point ReyesFeb–Aug
- Last spring frostFeb
- Fall color (CA)Oct
- First fall frostDec
Nearby, season by season
Wildflowers
- Point Reyes · 35 miLocal timing: Feb 1–Aug 31~4 months
- San Joaquin River Refuge · 96 miLocal timing: Apr 1–30~6 months
- San Luis Refuge · 127 miLocal timing: Apr 1–30~6 months
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Feb 25
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Dec 1
About 279 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Jan 30
First bloom around Mar 3
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Santa Rosa (0.8 mi from Santa Rosa), 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 Santa Rosa?
On average around Dec 1, and the last spring frost around Feb 25: about 279 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Santa Rosa, 0.8 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Santa Rosa?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Jan 30 and first bloom around Mar 3, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see wildflowers near Santa Rosa?
Point Reyes, 35 miles (local timing: Feb 1–Aug 31); San Joaquin River Refuge, 96 miles (local timing: Apr 1–30); San Luis Refuge, 127 miles (local timing: Apr 1–30). Distances are straight-line.
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) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)