Frost dates in McAllen, 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 McAllen is January 9, and the average first fall frost is January 3, from NOAA's Mcallen Miller Intl Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of McAllen. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 13, and the first one by December 11. That leaves about 359 frost-free days. McAllen is in USDA planting zone 10a.

Weather stations around McAllen

The first row is the date most people in McAllen go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Mcallen Miller Intl Airport 3 mi away, 100 ft	January 9 1 in 10 after February 13	January 3 1 in 10 by December 11	359 days
Mcallen 2 mi away, 100 ft	January 9 1 in 10 after February 12	January 1 1 in 10 by December 8	357 days
Edinburg 7 mi away, 96 ft	January 8 1 in 10 after February 21	January 2 1 in 10 by December 11	359 days
La Joya 8 mi away, 213 ft	January 23 1 in 10 after February 27	December 28 1 in 10 by December 2	339 days
Weslaco 17 mi away, 75 ft	January 8 1 in 10 after February 18	December 31 1 in 10 by December 3	357 days

Distances are from the middle of McAllen 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 78501, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

McAllen 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

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