Frost dates in McKinney, 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 McKinney is March 18, and the average first fall frost is November 11, from NOAA's Mckinney Muni Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of McKinney. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 7, and the first one by October 27. That leaves about 238 frost-free days. McKinney is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around McKinney
The first row is the date most people in McKinney go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mckinney Muni Airport 5 mi away, 580 ft | March 18 1 in 10 after April 7 | November 11 1 in 10 by October 27 | 238 days |
| Mckinney Municipal Airport 4 mi away, 586 ft | March 17 1 in 10 after April 5 | November 15 1 in 10 by October 27 | 243 days |
| Richardson 15 mi away, 678 ft | March 7 1 in 10 after March 29 | November 21 1 in 10 by November 2 | 259 days |
| Lavon Dam 15 mi away, 510 ft | March 10 1 in 10 after March 31 | November 19 1 in 10 by November 1 | 254 days |
| Pilot Point Isl Du Boi 23 mi away, 690 ft | March 24 1 in 10 after April 13 | November 16 1 in 10 by November 1 | 237 days |
Distances are from the middle of McKinney 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 75072, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
McKinney 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.
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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