Austin, Texas Frost Dates, Growing Season & Hardiness Zone

When is the last frost in Austin?

Not every winter freezes here. NOAA puts the chance of at least one 32°F night in a year at 99.4% at Austin-Camp Mabry. The dates on this page describe the years that do freeze (NOAA computes them as conditional probabilities).

In the years that freeze, half have their last 32°F night by Feb 20, and 1 in 10 of them still has one after Mar 14. Nights of 36°F (frost possible on plants) come in 100% of years and typically end around Mar 6. A 28°F hard freeze comes in 87.6% of years.

Austin has a long late-frost tail: 22 days separate the typical date (Feb 20) from the safer 1-in-10 date (Mar 14). 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 Feb 20, and the typical last 36°F night (frost possible on plants in low spots) comes 14 days later, around Mar 6. On clear, calm nights, frost can form on leaves while the thermometer still reads above freezing.

Of the 6 eligible stations near Austin, ours has the earliest typical last frost. In a colder pocket, plan closer to Mar 14.

Is it too early to plant in Austin?

Before Feb 20 the odds of another 32°F night are better than even; after Mar 14 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 Austin?

Counting only years with a freeze, the first 32°F night comes by Dec 3 in half of them and as early as Nov 15 in 1 in 10. The first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Nov 22. NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 28°F hard freeze at 87.6%.

Fall plantings are timed backward from first frost: Dec 3 typically, or Nov 15 if you want a cushion. See the planting calendar for each crop's date.

How long is Austin's growing season?

In a typical year, Austin gets 291 days between the last and first 32°F nights. About 1 year in 10, the season is shorter than 258 days.

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

Each year the station logs an average of 7,547 growing degree days (base 50°F), a measure of the heat available for crop growth.

How does Austin's season compare?

At 291 days, the typical frost-free season in Austin is the 2nd longest among the 6 Texas cities with frost dates on this site.

Nationwide, across the 56 cities with frost dates on this site, the typical frost-free season here outlasts the one in 46 of them and falls short of the one in 9.

Growing degree days (base 50°F)

Annual normal: 7,547 GDD (NOAA flag S, 29 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 Austin? (USDA 2023)

On the 2023 USDA map, Austin is zone 8b–9a (15 to 25°F average coldest winter night). On the 2012 map, most of the city was 8b. Of the 44 city ZIPs listed in both tables, 40 moved up half a zone.

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 Austin's frost dates?

No. Zones describe only how cold the coldest winter night gets on average. They don't tell you when frost starts or stops. The frost dates for Austin come from NOAA's 1991–2020 frost probabilities, which the 2023 zone map left untouched. Choose winter-hardy perennials by zone, and schedule planting by frost dates.

Why do Austin frost dates differ between websites?

You may see Mar 2 given as the last frost date for Austin. That's the 30%-risk date: in years with a freeze, about 3 in 10 have a 32°F night after it. We lead with Feb 20, the 50% (median) date.

The 'safer' date, Mar 14, is the 10%-risk date. Counting only years with a freeze, about 1 in 10 has a 32°F night after it.

Mar 6 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 6 stations that meet our quality rules put the typical (50%) last 32°F frost anywhere from Feb 20 to Mar 17 (table below).

Which weather station is this based on?

Station

Austin-Camp Mabry (NOAA USW00013958, WBAN/ASOS-AWOS)

Distance

1.6 mi NNW of the city center

Elevation

670 ft; city center 610 ft (USGS), difference +60 ft

Record

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

Confidence

High (rule)

Confidence: High. At 1.6 miles from the city center and only 60 ft off in elevation, with frost statistics that meet our completeness rule (NOAA flag S, 30 of 30 years), this station is a close match.

Austin planting dates at a glance

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

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

Frost dates near Austin

All Texas cities

Frequently asked questions

What is the average last frost date in Austin?

Not every winter in Austin freezes: NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Austin-Camp Mabry at 99.4%. In the years that do freeze, the typical (50%) last one is Feb 20, and only about 1 in 10 of those years has one after Mar 14.

When is the first frost in Austin?

In years with a freeze, the first 32°F night typically arrives by Dec 3, and in about 1 in 10 of those years it comes as early as Nov 15. NOAA puts the yearly chance of a 32°F night at Austin-Camp Mabry at 99.4%.

What growing zone is Austin, Texas? Is Austin zone 8 or 9?

Zone 8b–9a (zone 8–9 for short) is Austin's USDA hardiness zone on the 2023 map. Most of the city was 8b on the older 2012 map, so you'll still find 'zone 8' in older references.

Is it too early to plant in Austin?

For frost-tender plants, it's early before Feb 20. If you plant before then, another 32°F night after your planting day is more likely than not in years with a freeze. Between Feb 20 and Mar 14, that risk falls from 50% to 10% of freeze years. NOAA puts the yearly chance of any 32°F night at Austin-Camp Mabry at 99.4%. Cool-season crops like peas and lettuce can go in weeks earlier; see the planting calendar.

What temperature is a killing frost?

For tender crops like tomatoes, a light frost is a killing frost. CSU Extension calls 28–32°F a light frost and below 28°F a heavy frost. Our NOAA odds cover 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 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 Austin, the first 36°F night (frost possible on plants) typically comes around Nov 22. A 32°F night doesn't come every year here: NOAA puts the yearly chance at 99.4%. In years with a freeze, the first one typically comes around Dec 3.

Download & sources

• Add Austin 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 USW00013958); 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.