Frost dates in Visalia, 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 Visalia is January 23, and the average first fall frost is December 13, from NOAA's Visalia station, 2 miles from the middle of Visalia. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 27, and the first one by November 27. That leaves about 324 frost-free days. Visalia is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Visalia
The first row is the date most people in Visalia go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visalia 2 mi away, 303 ft | January 23 1 in 10 after February 27 | December 13 1 in 10 by November 27 | 324 days |
| Hanford Muni Airport 17 mi away, 249 ft | February 20 1 in 10 after March 21 | November 23 1 in 10 by November 6 | 276 days |
| Lemon Cove 17 mi away, 513 ft | February 5 1 in 10 after March 20 | December 8 1 in 10 by November 23 | 306 days |
| Hanford 1 S 17 mi away, 237 ft | February 7 1 in 10 after March 4 | December 1 1 in 10 by November 16 | 297 days |
| Lindsay 17 mi away, 435 ft | February 20 1 in 10 after March 26 | November 30 1 in 10 by November 15 | 283 days |
Distances are from the middle of Visalia 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 93277, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Visalia 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