Frost dates in Waco, 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 Waco is March 15, and the average first fall frost is November 15, from NOAA's Waco Rgnl Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Waco. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 6, and the first one by November 1. That leaves about 245 frost-free days. Waco is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around Waco
The first row is the date most people in Waco go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco Rgnl Airport 5 mi away, 500 ft | March 15 1 in 10 after April 6 | November 15 1 in 10 by November 1 | 245 days |
| Waco Dam 3 mi away, 495 ft | March 9 1 in 10 after April 4 | November 20 1 in 10 by November 2 | 256 days |
| Mcgregor 15 mi away, 723 ft | March 15 1 in 10 after April 4 | November 18 1 in 10 by November 2 | 248 days |
| Whitney Dam 24 mi away, 574 ft | March 15 1 in 10 after April 7 | November 14 1 in 10 by October 31 | 244 days |
| Marlin 25 mi away, 407 ft | March 21 1 in 10 after April 10 | November 9 1 in 10 by October 29 | 233 days |
Distances are from the middle of Waco 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 76710, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Waco 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 · Amarillo · Brownsville · Denton · Killeen · Mesquite · McAllen · Pasadena · 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