Frost dates in Sacramento, 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 Sacramento is January 12, and the average first fall frost is December 16, from NOAA's Sacramento 5 ESE station, 3 miles from the middle of Sacramento. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 8, and the first one by November 28. That leaves about 338 frost-free days. Sacramento is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Sacramento
The first row is the date most people in Sacramento go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento 5 ESE 3 mi away, 38 ft | January 12 1 in 10 after February 8 | December 16 1 in 10 by November 28 | 338 days |
| Sacramento Executive Airport 4 mi away, 15 ft | February 2 1 in 10 after March 5 | December 2 1 in 10 by November 16 | 303 days |
| Sacramento Metro Airport 11 mi away, 23 ft | February 22 1 in 10 after April 1 | November 24 1 in 10 by November 9 | 275 days |
| Davis 2 WSW Exp Farm 17 mi away, 60 ft | February 10 1 in 10 after March 11 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 13 | 294 days |
| Woodland 1 WNW 19 mi away, 67 ft | February 7 1 in 10 after March 11 | December 5 1 in 10 by November 19 | 301 days |
Distances are from the middle of Sacramento 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 95816, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Sacramento 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 · Fresno · 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