Frost dates in Oceanside, 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 Oceanside is January 23, and the average first fall frost is December 11, from NOAA's Oceanside Muni Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Oceanside. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 22, and the first one by November 21. That leaves about 322 frost-free days. Oceanside is in USDA planting zone 10a.
Weather stations around Oceanside
The first row is the date most people in Oceanside go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oceanside Muni Airport 3 mi away, 28 ft | January 23 1 in 10 after February 22 | December 11 1 in 10 by November 21 | 322 days |
| Vista 4 mi away, 430 ft | January 30 1 in 10 after March 16 | January 7 1 in 10 by December 14 | 342 days |
| Oceanside Marina 5 mi away, 10 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | ||
| Camp Pendleton MCAS 6 mi away, 75 ft | February 16 1 in 10 after March 18 | December 8 1 in 10 by November 21 | 295 days |
| Carlsbad Palomar Airport 7 mi away, 328 ft | Frost too rare to date (32 °F in under 1 year in 10) | ||
Distances are from the middle of Oceanside 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 92056, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Oceanside 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