Ragweed season in Virginia ends around November 4
Ragweed doesn't stop on a schedule. It keeps flowering until a freeze kills the plants, which is why the end of the season is a weather question rather than a calendar one — and in Virginia, the answer sits around November 4 in a typical year.
Is ragweed season still going in Virginia?
- Ragweed In season now — about 10 weeks to the typical first frost
Status comes from the typical season window for this area, not from a pollen count — a cool spring or a late frost moves the real dates by a week or two either way. These are the windows for Virginia.
Why the end of the season is a frost date
Two thresholds matter, and NOAA records both. The first 32°F frost is the one that ends ragweed season. The first 28°F hard freeze, which follows it, is what finishes off the plants for good. City tables on this site show both.
These are fifty-fifty dates, not deadlines. At each city's own weather station, NOAA's 30-year record puts half of the first freezes before the date and half after — so ragweed ends early in a cold autumn and hangs on well past the date in a warm one.
Many people plan ahead of the season; if that includes anything medical, ask your doctor.
Where in Virginia it ends first
Frost doesn't switch a state off all at once. It reaches the coldest corners of Virginia around November 1 and the mildest around November 12 — 11 days apart, so ragweed season can be finished at one end of the state while it's still going at the other.
| City | First frost (32°F) | Hard freeze (28°F) |
|---|---|---|
| Roanoke | November 1 | November 12 |
| Richmond | November 4 | November 15 |
| Charlottesville | November 8 | November 20 |
| Virginia Beach | November 12 | November 25 |
Based on 30 years of NOAA frost records (1991–2020).
What comes after
Once frost has been through, the pollen year starts over: Virginia then gets its one genuinely quiet stretch of the year, and tree pollen opens the next one in early March.
The full Virginia pollen year — tree, grass and ragweed, with the dates each one starts — is on the Virginia season page. For how ragweed works nationally, see ragweed season.
Common questions
When does ragweed season end in Virginia?
Around November 4 in a typical year — the day the first freeze usually arrives in Virginia. A warm autumn pushes it later; an early cold snap ends it sooner.
Does the first frost really end it?
Effectively, yes — and that is what makes the date worth looking up. Common ragweed is an annual: it grows from seed every spring and has no way to survive a freeze, so the cold kills the plants outright rather than slowing them down. A dead plant releases no more pollen, which is why the first frost is an ending and not just a quiet spell.
Does it end everywhere in Virginia at once?
No. The first freeze crosses Virginia over roughly 11 days — earliest around November 1, latest around November 12 — so ragweed season is finished at one end of the state while it is still running at the other. The city table above gives the local date.
What comes after ragweed in Virginia?
Nothing, for a while — ragweed is the last pollen of the year. The next season to open in Virginia is tree pollen in early March, usually starting with maple.
Sources: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 (first-frost and hard-freeze dates) · Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America · Iowa State University Extension — common ragweed. Season windows reviewed August 2026.