Your nature year
Suffolk, Virginiathrough the year
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Suffolk?
Suffolk sits close to sea level, at about 68 feet. Leaves usually come out around Feb 18 and the first flowers around Mar 30.
About 6 weeks pass between first leaf and first bloom here. Suffolk usually sees its last spring frost around Mar 27 and its first fall frost around Nov 15, a frost-free stretch of about 233 days at the Suffolk Lake Kilby weather station (2.9 mi). For a day trip, Great Dismal Swamp Refuge is 11 miles off; its fall foliage is Oct 21–31 (local timing). We follow 3 places within 150 miles of Suffolk; the nearest lies 11 miles to the southeast. Statewide, Virginia's 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)
Suffolk's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Mar 27 to ~Nov 15
- First leaf ~Feb 18
- First bloom ~Mar 30
- Fall color under way ~Oct 25 (VA)
- Today
Near Suffolk right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in VirginiaStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Nov 15 · last spring frost around Mar 27NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Suffolk Lake Kilby (2.9 mi, 50% dates)~7 weeks
- Fall foliage · Great Dismal Swamp Refuge · 11 miLocal timing: Oct 21–31~3 weeks
Suffolk's nature year
- Spring green-upFeb
- Last spring frostMar
- Fall color (VA)Oct
- First fall frostNov
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Great Dismal Swamp Refuge · 11 miLocal timing: Oct 21–31~3 weeks
- Blackwater Refuge · 124 miLocal timing: Oct 1–Dec 31~3 days
- Occoquan Bay Refuge · 137 miLocal timing: Oct 21–31~3 weeks
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Mar 27
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Nov 15
About 233 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Feb 18
First bloom around Mar 30
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Suffolk Lake Kilby (2.9 mi from Suffolk), 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 Suffolk?
On average around Nov 15, and the last spring frost around Mar 27: about 233 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Suffolk Lake Kilby, 2.9 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Suffolk?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Feb 18 and first bloom around Mar 30, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Suffolk?
Great Dismal Swamp Refuge, 11 miles (local timing: Oct 21–31); Blackwater Refuge, 124 miles (local timing: Oct 1–Dec 31); Occoquan Bay Refuge, 137 miles (local timing: Oct 21–31). 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)