Frost dates in Stockton, 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 Stockton is February 6, and the average first fall frost is December 1, from NOAA's Stockton Metro Airport station, 8 miles from the middle of Stockton. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 28, and the first one by November 15. That leaves about 298 frost-free days. Stockton is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Stockton
The first row is the date most people in Stockton go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton Metro Airport 8 mi away, 26 ft | February 6 1 in 10 after February 28 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 15 | 298 days |
| Stockton Fire Stn 4 2 mi away, 12 ft | February 5 1 in 10 after March 11 | December 8 1 in 10 by November 17 | 306 days |
| Lodi 9 mi away, 40 ft | February 9 1 in 10 after March 7 | December 5 1 in 10 by November 17 | 299 days |
| Tracy Pumping Plt 19 mi away, 61 ft | January 19 1 in 10 after February 17 | December 10 1 in 10 by November 26 | 325 days |
| Tracy Carbona 20 mi away, 135 ft | February 25 1 in 10 after April 6 | November 26 1 in 10 by November 8 | 274 days |
Distances are from the middle of Stockton 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 95204, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Stockton 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