Frost dates in Salinas, 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 Salinas is January 29, and the average first fall frost is December 10, from NOAA's Salinas Municipal Airport station, 2 miles from the middle of Salinas. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after March 1, and the first one by November 21. That leaves about 315 frost-free days. Salinas is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Salinas
The first row is the date most people in Salinas go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas Municipal Airport 2 mi away, 74 ft | January 29 1 in 10 after March 1 | December 10 1 in 10 by November 21 | 315 days |
| Salinas #2 3 mi away, 45 ft | February 4 1 in 10 after March 11 | December 6 1 in 10 by November 18 | 305 days |
| Monterey Peninsul Airport 14 mi away, 165 ft | January 2 1 in 10 after January 20 | December 23 1 in 10 by December 1 | 355 days |
| Monterey Wfo 14 mi away, 122 ft | January 3 1 in 10 after January 24 | December 28 1 in 10 by December 5 | 359 days |
| Carmel Valley 15 mi away, 480 ft | February 20 1 in 10 after March 27 | December 8 1 in 10 by November 14 | 291 days |
Distances are from the middle of Salinas 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 93905, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Salinas 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 · 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 · 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