Frost dates in Fresno, 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 Fresno is January 14, and the average first fall frost is December 14, from NOAA's Fresno Yosemite Intl Airport station, 4 miles from the middle of Fresno. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 11, and the first one by November 29. That leaves about 334 frost-free days. Fresno is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Fresno
The first row is the date most people in Fresno go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Yosemite Intl Airport 4 mi away, 333 ft | January 14 1 in 10 after February 11 | December 14 1 in 10 by November 29 | 334 days |
| Fresno 5 NE 5 mi away, 338 ft | January 30 1 in 10 after March 4 | December 11 1 in 10 by November 25 | 315 days |
| Friant Government Camp 16 mi away, 410 ft | March 9 1 in 10 after April 16 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 12 | 267 days |
| Madera 18 mi away, 270 ft | February 18 1 in 10 after March 18 | November 27 1 in 10 by November 10 | 282 days |
| Madera Muni Airport 23 mi away, 253 ft | February 12 1 in 10 after March 17 | November 30 1 in 10 by November 14 | 291 days |
Distances are from the middle of Fresno 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 93704, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Fresno 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.
Other California cities: Los Angeles · San Diego · San Jose · San Francisco · Sacramento · Long Beach · Oakland · Bakersfield · Anaheim · Stockton · Riverside · Irvine · Santa Ana · Chula Vista · Santa Clarita · Fremont · San Bernardino · Fontana · Modesto · Moreno Valley · Oxnard · Huntington Beach · Glendale · Ontario · Elk Grove · Santa Rosa · Rancho Cucamonga · Oceanside · Garden Grove · Lancaster · Roseville · Palmdale · Corona · Salinas · Hayward · Sunnyvale · Pomona · Visalia · Escondido · Victorville
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