Frost dates in Austin, 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 Austin is February 20, and the average first fall frost is December 3, from NOAA's Austin-Camp Mabry station, 2 miles from the middle of Austin. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after March 14, and the first one by November 15. That leaves about 286 frost-free days. Austin is in USDA planting zone 9a.
Weather stations around Austin
The first row is the date most people in Austin go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Camp Mabry 2 mi away, 670 ft | February 20 1 in 10 after March 14 | December 3 1 in 10 by November 15 | 286 days |
| Austin 6S 5 mi away, 570 ft | March 10 1 in 10 after March 31 | November 17 1 in 10 by November 1 | 252 days |
| Austin Great Hills 8 mi away, 880 ft | March 11 1 in 10 after March 29 | November 20 1 in 10 by November 3 | 254 days |
| Austin Bergstrom Airport 9 mi away, 480 ft | March 12 1 in 10 after April 2 | November 16 1 in 10 by November 1 | 249 days |
| Dripping Springs 6 E 15 mi away, 1,084 ft | March 17 1 in 10 after April 7 | November 13 1 in 10 by October 29 | 241 days |
Distances are from the middle of Austin 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 78703, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Austin 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 · El Paso · Arlington · Corpus Christi · Plano · Lubbock · Laredo · Irving · Garland · Frisco · McKinney · Grand Prairie · Amarillo · Brownsville · Denton · Killeen · Mesquite · McAllen · Pasadena · Waco · Midland · Round Rock
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