Arizona frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for Arizona’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among Arizona’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Jan 5 in Lake Havasu City to Jun 4 in Flagstaff. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

In Yuma, freezes are too rare to give a date, so plant by season rather than by frost date.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Phoenix	Jan 8	Dec 25	351	9b–10a	Phoenix Deer Valley Muni Airport, AZ, 8 mi
Tucson	Feb 5	Dec 9	307	9a–9b	Tucson Intl Airport, AZ, 5 mi
Mesa	Feb 1	Dec 10	312	9b	E Mesa, AZ, 4 mi
Gilbert	Feb 1	Dec 11	313	9b	Chandler Heights, AZ, 8 mi
Chandler	Feb 13	Dec 5	295	9b	Tempe Asu, AZ, 11 mi
Glendale	Jan 20	Dec 15	329	9b	Youngtown, AZ, 8 mi
Scottsdale	Jan 27	Dec 21	328	9b–10a	Pinnacle Peak, AZ, 3 mi
Peoria	Feb 5	Dec 11	309	9b	Wittmann 1Se, AZ, 12 mi
Tempe	Feb 13	Dec 5	295	9b–10a	Tempe Asu, AZ, 3 mi
Surprise	Feb 5	Dec 11	309	9b	Wittmann 1Se, AZ, 8 mi
Goodyear	Jan 14	Dec 22	342	9b	Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, 14 mi
Buckeye	Jan 7	Dec 24	351	9b	Litchfield Park, AZ, 17 mi
Yuma	Too rare to date	Too rare to date	–	10a	Yuma Mcas, AZ, 11 mi
Avondale	Jan 14	Dec 22	342	9b	Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, 11 mi
Queen Creek	Feb 1	Dec 11	313	9b	Chandler Heights, AZ, 5 mi
Flagstaff	Jun 4	Sep 28	116	6a	Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, AZ, 4 mi
Maricopa	Feb 23	Nov 24	274	9a	Maricopa 4 N, AZ, 5 mi
Casa Grande	Feb 5	Dec 6	304	9a	Casa Grande, AZ, 3 mi
Marana	Apr 2	Nov 11	223	9b	Catalina Sp, AZ, 12 mi
Lake Havasu City	Jan 5	Dec 29	358	10a	Lake Havasu City, AZ, 3 mi

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Phoenix

Timed from Phoenix’s average last frost of Jan 8, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Nov 20 to Dec 4	Jan 15 to Jan 22
Peppers	Nov 13 to Nov 27	Jan 22
Lettuce	Nov 6 to Nov 13	Dec 11 to Dec 18
Broccoli	Oct 30 to Nov 13	Dec 11 to Dec 25
Cucumbers	Dec 18 to Dec 25	Jan 15 to Jan 22
Basil	Nov 27 to Dec 11	Jan 22

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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