Sacramento, California Frost Dates, Growing Season & Hardiness Zone

When is the last frost in Sacramento?

Some winters here pass without a single 32°F night: NOAA's yearly chance at Sacramento 5 ESE is 81.4%. The dates on this page cover only the years that do freeze, which is how NOAA computes them (conditional probabilities).

Counting only years with a freeze, half are past their last 32°F night by Jan 12, and 1 in 10 has one after Feb 8. NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 36°F night (frost possible on plants) at 99.3%, with the last one typically around Feb 12. The yearly chance of a 28°F hard freeze is 25.4%.

Sacramento has a long late-frost tail: 27 days separate the typical date (Jan 12) from the safer 1-in-10 date (Feb 8). If tender plants go out early, be ready to protect them on cold nights.

Cool nights hang on after the last freeze. In years with a freeze, the typical last 32°F night is around Jan 12, and the typical last 36°F night (frost possible on plants in low spots) comes 31 days later, around Feb 12. On clear, calm nights, frost can form on leaves while the thermometer still reads above freezing.

Of the 5 eligible stations near Sacramento, ours has the earliest typical last frost. In a colder pocket, plan closer to Feb 8.

Is it too early to plant in Sacramento?

Before Jan 12 the odds of another 32°F night are better than even; after Feb 8 they are about 1 in 10 or less.

Today's risk is computed in your browser from the same NOAA probability table, shown as the range between the two nearest NOAA probability levels.

When is the first frost in Sacramento?

When a freeze does come, the first 32°F night is typically by Dec 16; in 1 in 10 of those years it comes as early as Nov 28. Look for the first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) around Dec 1. 28°F hard freezes happen in 25.4% of years.

To time a fall crop, count back from the typical first frost (Dec 16) or the safer Nov 28. The planting calendar works it out crop by crop.

How long is Sacramento's growing season?

In a typical year, Sacramento gets 341 days between the last and first 32°F nights. About 1 year in 10, the season is shorter than 308 days.

This much frost-free time means many crops can go in twice, in spring and again for a fall harvest.

The station averages 5,115 growing degree days (base 50°F) a year. That number measures how much heat crops have to grow on.

How does Sacramento's season compare?

Of the 3 California cities with frost dates on this site, Sacramento has a typical frost-free season of 341 days, which is the 2nd longest.

Among the 56 U.S. cities with frost dates on this site, the typical frost-free season here is longer than in 53 of them and shorter than in 2.

Growing degree days (base 50°F)

Annual normal: 5,115 GDD (NOAA flag S, 30 years). Running total by the end of each month (sum of NOAA daily GDD normals, so the year-end total can differ slightly from the annual normal):

What growing zone is Sacramento? (USDA 2023)

On the 2023 USDA map, Sacramento is zone 9b (25 to 30°F average coldest winter night). That's no change from the 2012 map.

Zones: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed 2026-10-08. Shown as published in the ZIP tables; this page does not show a zone map. Not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (official map: planthardiness.ars.usda.gov).

Does the new zone change Sacramento's frost dates?

No. Hardiness zones are based only on the average coldest winter temperature. They say nothing about when spring and fall frosts happen. Sacramento's frost dates come from NOAA's 1991–2020 frost probabilities, which did not change with the 2023 zone map. Use your zone to pick perennials that will survive winter, and your frost dates to time planting.

Why do Sacramento frost dates differ between websites?

If you've seen Jan 22 listed as Sacramento's last frost date, that's the 30%-risk date: in years with a freeze, about 3 in 10 still get a 32°F night after it. We lead with Jan 12, the 50% (median) date.

The 'safer' date, Feb 8, is the 10%-risk date. Counting only years with a freeze, about 1 in 10 has a 32°F night after it.

Feb 12 is the 50% date for a 36°F night (frost possible on plants), not a 32°F freeze. Sites that treat 36°F as the danger line show later dates.

Station choice is another reason dates differ. Our 5 qualifying stations within 25 miles of the city center range from Jan 12 to Feb 22 for the typical (50%) last 32°F frost (table below).

Which weather station is this based on?

Station

Sacramento 5 ESE (NOAA USW00023271, WBAN/ASOS-AWOS)

Distance

2.9 mi ESE of the city center

Elevation

38 ft; city center 26 ft (USGS), difference +12 ft

Record

NOAA completeness flag S, 30 of 30 years (1991–2020)

Confidence

High (rule)

Confidence: High. The station is close (2.9 miles from the city center), its elevation differs by just 12 ft, and its frost statistics meet our completeness rule (NOAA flag S, 30 of 30 years).

Sacramento planting dates at a glance

Balanced dates use the 30%-risk last-frost date as the anchor. The Sacramento planting calendar has typical and safe dates, fall planting and a month-by-month list for 26 vegetables.

When to plant tomatoes in Sacramento · Fall planting dates for Sacramento

Frost dates near Sacramento

All California cities

Frequently asked questions

What is the average last frost date in Sacramento?

Not every winter in Sacramento freezes: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Sacramento 5 ESE at 81.4%. In the years that do freeze, the typical (50%) last one is Jan 12, and only about 1 in 10 of those years has one after Feb 8.

When is the first frost in Sacramento?

Not every year has one: NOAA's yearly chance of a 32°F night at Sacramento 5 ESE is 81.4%. In the years with a freeze, the first typically comes by Dec 16; in about 1 in 10 of them, by Nov 28.

What growing zone is Sacramento, California?

Sacramento is USDA hardiness zone 9b. The 2023 map kept it in the same zone as the 2012 map.

Is it too early to plant in Sacramento?

For frost-tender plants, wait until at least Jan 12. Not every year freezes here: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Sacramento 5 ESE at 81.4%. In years that do, another 32°F night after Jan 12 happens about half the time, and after Feb 8 about 1 time in 10. Cool-season crops like peas and lettuce can go in weeks earlier; the planting calendar has the dates.

What temperature is a killing frost?

It depends on the crop. Tender plants such as tomatoes are killed by a light frost, which CSU Extension describes as 28–32°F; below 28°F is a heavy frost. We show NOAA odds for 36°F (frost possible on plants), 32°F (freeze, our headline) and 28°F (hard freeze).

Is first frost the same as first freeze?

Not quite. A 'freeze' means the air reached 32°F. 'Frost' is ice on surfaces, and it can form on calm, clear nights even when the air is a few degrees above freezing. In Sacramento, the first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Dec 1. A 32°F night doesn't come every year here: NOAA puts the yearly chance at 81.4%. In years with a freeze, the first one typically comes around Dec 16.

Download & sources

• Add Sacramento frost & planting dates to your calendar (.ics, 2027)
• Printable planting calendar (PDF)
• How these numbers are calculated

Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal and daily normals, station USW00023271); USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ZIP tables 2023 and 2012 by the PRISM Group, Oregon State University; Census 2020 ZIP/place relationship file; USGS elevation. Long-term odds, not a forecast. Figures and sentences are generated from these data by fixed rules; see the methodology. Last updated 2026-10-08.