Las Vegas, Nevada Frost Dates, Growing Season & Hardiness Zone

When is the last frost in Las Vegas?

A freeze isn't guaranteed every year. At Las Vegas Air Terminal, NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at 96.7%. Every date on this page is conditional: it describes only the years that reach 32°F.

In the years that freeze, half have their last 32°F night by Jan 24, and 1 in 10 of them still has one after Feb 19. Nights of 36°F (frost possible on plants) come in 100% of years and typically end around Feb 16. A 28°F hard freeze comes in 57.7% of years.

Frost risk in Las Vegas drags on well past the typical date. The safer 1-in-10 date (Feb 19) is 26 days later than the typical Jan 24, so protect tender plants set out early 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 24, and the typical last 36°F night (frost possible on plants in low spots) comes 23 days later, around Feb 16. On clear, calm nights, frost can form on leaves while the thermometer still reads above freezing.

Is it too early to plant in Las Vegas?

Before Jan 24 the odds of another 32°F night are better than even; after Feb 19 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 Las Vegas?

In the years that freeze, half have their first 32°F night by Dec 10, and 1 in 10 of them has one as early as Nov 24. The first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Nov 29. A 28°F hard freeze comes in 57.7% of years.

To time a fall crop, count back from the typical first frost (Dec 10) or the safer Nov 24. The planting calendar works it out crop by crop.

How long is Las Vegas's growing season?

A typical year in Las Vegas has 323 days between the last spring and first fall 32°F nights. In about 1 year in 10, there are fewer than 289 days.

With a season this long, you can grow many crops twice: once in spring and again for fall.

Growing degree days measure the heat available for crops to grow. The station averages 7,167 a year (base 50°F).

How does Las Vegas's season compare?

Compared with the 56 U.S. cities with frost dates on this site, this typical frost-free season is longer than in 49 and shorter than in 6.

Growing degree days (base 50°F)

Annual normal: 7,167 GDD (NOAA flag R, 17 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 Las Vegas? (USDA 2023)

Las Vegas is in USDA zone 8b–9b on the 2023 map (15 to 30°F average coldest winter night). Most of the city was 9a on the 2012 map. Comparing the 23 city ZIPs found in both tables: 1 moved up a full zone, 14 moved up half a zone, 1 moved down half a zone and 7 stayed the same.

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 Las Vegas'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. Las Vegas'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 Las Vegas frost dates differ between websites?

Some sources list Feb 4 for Las Vegas. That's the 30%-risk date: about 3 in 10 years with a freeze still have a 32°F night after it. Our headline date is Jan 24, the 50% (median) date.

The 'safer' date, Feb 19, is the 10%-risk date. Counting only years with a freeze, about 1 in 10 has a 32°F night after it.

Feb 16 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.

Sites also pick different weather stations. Within 25 miles of the city center, the 4 stations that meet our quality rules put the typical (50%) last 32°F frost anywhere from Jan 20 to Feb 4 (table below).

Which weather station is this based on?

Station

Las Vegas Air Terminal (NOAA USW00053123, WBAN/ASOS-AWOS)

Distance

4.1 mi ESE of the city center

Elevation

2,203 ft; city center 2,351 ft (USGS), difference −148 ft

Record

NOAA completeness flag R, 19 of 30 years (1991–2020)

Confidence

Medium (rule)

Confidence: Medium. The station passes our quality rules, but it's farther away or at a different elevation than ideal (4.1 mi, −148 ft; NOAA flag R, 19 of 30 years).

Note: NOAA rates this station's frost statistics 'R' (representative). That means they use 19 of the 30 years in 1991–2020, with missing months filled in from surrounding stations. For comparison, the nearest station with a full 'S' (standard) record, Las Vegas Mccarran Airport (12.5 mi away), has a typical last frost of Jan 20.

Las Vegas planting dates at a glance

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

When to plant tomatoes in Las Vegas · Fall planting dates for Las Vegas

Frost dates near Las Vegas

All Nevada cities

Frequently asked questions

What is the average last frost date in Las Vegas?

Counting only years with a freeze (96.7% of years, NOAA 1991–2020 normals at Las Vegas Air Terminal), the median last 32°F night is Jan 24. For a safer target, use Feb 19; after that, about 1 in 10 of those years still has a freeze.

When is the first frost in Las Vegas?

Counting only years that freeze (96.7% of years at Las Vegas Air Terminal), the first 32°F night typically comes by Dec 10, and about 1 in 10 of those years sees one as early as Nov 24.

What growing zone is Las Vegas, Nevada?

Las Vegas is in USDA hardiness zone 8b–9b on the 2023 map. Most of the city was already 9a on the 2012 map, though 16 of 23 city ZIPs changed zone.

Is it too early to plant in Las Vegas?

If you plant frost-tender crops before Jan 24, a 32°F night after planting is more likely than not in years with a freeze. For planting days from Jan 24 to Feb 19, that risk falls from 50% to 10% of those years. In any given year, NOAA puts the chance of a 32°F night at Las Vegas Air Terminal at 96.7%. Peas, lettuce and other cool-season crops can go in weeks earlier (see the planting calendar).

What temperature is a killing frost?

A light frost is enough to kill tender crops such as tomatoes. CSU Extension describes 28–32°F as a light frost and anything below 28°F as a heavy frost. We report NOAA odds at three thresholds: 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 exactly. A freeze is about the air reaching 32°F. Frost is ice on surfaces, which can form on calm, clear nights while the air is still a few degrees above freezing. The first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) in Las Vegas typically comes around Nov 29. Freezes don't come every year here: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at 96.7%, and in years that have one, the first typically arrives around Dec 10.

Download & sources

• Add Las Vegas 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 USW00053123); 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.