Frost dates in Escondido, California
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 Escondido is January 2, and the average first fall frost is December 30, from NOAA's Escondido #2 station, 1 mile from the middle of Escondido. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 4, and the first one by December 8. That leaves about 362 frost-free days. Escondido is in USDA planting zone 10a.
Weather stations around Escondido
The first row is the date most people in Escondido go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escondido #2 1 mi away, 600 ft | January 2 1 in 10 after February 4 | December 30 1 in 10 by December 8 | 362 days |
| San Pasqual Animal Pk 5 mi away, 420 ft | February 2 1 in 10 after March 4 | December 7 1 in 10 by November 22 | 308 days |
| Valley Ctr 1N 6 mi away, 1,290 ft | February 19 1 in 10 after March 31 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 11 | 285 days |
| Rancho Bernardo 8 mi away, 690 ft | January 5 1 in 10 after February 1 | January 2 1 in 10 by December 13 | 362 days |
| Ramona Airport 11 mi away, 1,393 ft | March 19 1 in 10 after April 10 | November 23 1 in 10 by November 6 | 249 days |
Distances are from the middle of Escondido 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 92029, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Escondido 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 California, station by station.
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Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer