Texas frost dates

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

Reviewed October 2026

Among Texas’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Jan 9 in Brownsville to Apr 15 in Amarillo. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Houston	Feb 2	Dec 25	326	9b	Houston-Port, TX, 7 mi
San Antonio	Feb 25	Nov 28	276	9a	San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX, 3 mi
Dallas	Mar 2	Nov 29	272	8b	Dallas Love Fld, TX, 7 mi
Fort Worth	Mar 5	Nov 24	264	8b	Ft Worth Meacham Fld Naaf, TX, 2 mi
Austin	Feb 20	Dec 3	286	9a	Austin-Camp Mabry, TX, 2 mi
El Paso	Mar 2	Nov 20	263	8b	El Paso Intl Airport, TX, 4 mi
Arlington	Mar 9	Nov 21	257	8b	Arlington Muni Airport, TX, 3 mi
Corpus Christi	Jan 22	Jan 4 (next winter)	347	10a	Port Aransas 11 Ssw, TX, 4 mi
Plano	Mar 7	Nov 21	259	8b	Richardson, TX, 4 mi
Lubbock	Mar 24	Nov 11	232	7b	Lubbock Wfo, TX, 2 mi
Laredo	Jan 25	Dec 17	326	9b	Laredo 2, TX
Irving	Mar 8	Nov 24	261	8b	Dallas Ft Worth Airport, TX, 4 mi
Garland	Mar 7	Nov 21	259	8b	Richardson, TX, 9 mi
Frisco	Mar 7	Nov 21	259	8b	Richardson, TX, 12 mi
McKinney	Mar 17	Nov 15	243	8b	Mckinney Municipal Airport, TX, 4 mi
Grand Prairie	Mar 20	Nov 13	238	8b	Joe Pool Lake, TX, 4 mi
Amarillo	Apr 15	Oct 29	197	7a	Amarillo 7Ene, TX, 7 mi
Brownsville	Jan 9	Jan 4 (next winter)	360	10a	Wfo Brownsville, TX, 6 mi
Denton	Mar 13	Nov 20	252	8a–8b	Denton 2 Se, TX, 2 mi
Killeen	Mar 14	Nov 17	248	8b	Killeen, TX, 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 Houston

Timed from Houston’s average last frost of Feb 2, 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	Dec 15 to Dec 29	Feb 9 to Feb 16
Peppers	Dec 8 to Dec 22	Feb 16
Lettuce	Dec 1 to Dec 8	Jan 5 to Jan 12
Broccoli	Nov 24 to Dec 8	Jan 5 to Jan 19
Cucumbers	Jan 12 to Jan 19	Feb 9 to Feb 16
Basil	Dec 22 to Jan 5	Feb 16

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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