Frost dates in Tucson, Arizona

NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.

Short answer

The average last spring frost in Tucson is February 5, and the average first fall frost is December 9, from NOAA's Tucson Intl Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Tucson. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after March 2, and the first one by November 21. That leaves about 307 frost-free days. Tucson is in USDA planting zone 9b.

Weather stations around Tucson

The first row is the date most people in Tucson go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Tucson Intl Airport 5 mi away, 2,549 ft	February 5 1 in 10 after March 2	December 9 1 in 10 by November 21	307 days
Tucson Wfo 7 mi away, 2,435 ft	January 20 1 in 10 after February 18	December 17 1 in 10 by November 28	331 days
Saguaro NP 8 mi away, 3,080 ft	January 26 1 in 10 after February 25	December 16 1 in 10 by November 26	324 days
Tucson Camp Ave Exp 10 mi away, 2,330 ft	February 20 1 in 10 after March 11	November 27 1 in 10 by November 10	280 days
Tucson U Of A #1 11 mi away, 2,315 ft	February 11 1 in 10 after March 7	December 2 1 in 10 by November 16	294 days

Distances are from the middle of Tucson as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 85708, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Tucson covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.

How these dates work

Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.

The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.

More frost dates

All of Arizona, station by station.

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