Frost dates in Amarillo, Texas
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 Amarillo is April 13, and the average first fall frost is October 27, from NOAA's Amarillo station, 7 miles from the middle of Amarillo. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 29, and the first one by October 14. That leaves about 197 frost-free days. Amarillo is in USDA planting zone 7a.
Weather stations around Amarillo
The first row is the date most people in Amarillo go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo 7 mi away, 3,587 ft | April 13 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 14 | 197 days |
| Amarillo 7ENE 7 mi away, 3,590 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 16 | 197 days |
| Bushland 1 WSW 14 mi away, 3,819 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 3 | October 21 1 in 10 by October 6 | 182 days |
| Canyon 16 mi away, 3,590 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after May 1 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 12 | 193 days |
| Panhandle 27 mi away, 3,463 ft | April 15 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 15 | 197 days |
Distances are from the middle of Amarillo 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 79101, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Amarillo 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 Texas, station by station.
Other Texas cities: Houston · San Antonio · Dallas · Fort Worth · Austin · El Paso · Arlington · Corpus Christi · Plano · Lubbock · Laredo · Irving · Garland · Frisco · McKinney · Grand Prairie · Brownsville · Denton · Killeen · Mesquite · McAllen · Pasadena · Waco · Midland · Round Rock
Nearby: Oklahoma City, OK · Albuquerque, NM
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