Frost dates in Palmdale, 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 Palmdale is March 18, and the average first fall frost is November 15, from NOAA's Palmdale Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Palmdale. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 11, and the first one by October 30. That leaves about 242 frost-free days. Palmdale is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around Palmdale
The first row is the date most people in Palmdale go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmdale Airport 3 mi away, 2,524 ft | March 18 1 in 10 after April 11 | November 15 1 in 10 by October 30 | 242 days |
| Palmdale 1 mi away, 2,612 ft | March 10 1 in 10 after April 11 | November 19 1 in 10 by November 3 | 254 days |
| Lancaster Wm J Fox Fld 12 mi away, 2,338 ft | April 3 1 in 10 after April 23 | November 1 1 in 10 by October 17 | 212 days |
| Pearblossom 13 mi away, 3,101 ft | March 13 1 in 10 after April 17 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 12 | 263 days |
| Fairmont 20 mi away, 3,060 ft | April 6 1 in 10 after May 20 | November 29 1 in 10 by November 5 | 237 days |
Distances are from the middle of Palmdale 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 93552, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Palmdale 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