U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013961 · Texas

Frost Dates near Fort Worth, TX

NOAA weather station Fort Worth Meacham Field (USW00013961), Texas · elevation 687 ft (209 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Fort Worth is the nearest town to the station (6.9 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 3only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season252 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Fort Worth, TXSpring: a frost after February 21 in 9 years out of 10, after March 11 in half of the years, after April 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 3 in 1 year out of 10, before November 19 in half of the years, before December 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 252 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 11First frost ~Nov 19Frost season near Fort Worth, TXSpring: a frost after February 21 in 9 years out of 10, after March 11 in half of the years, after April 3 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 3 in 1 year out of 10, before November 19 in half of the years, before December 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 252 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 11First frost ~Nov 19
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 3November 3
50% (typical)March 11November 19
90% (likely)February 21December 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
252 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 28
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 10 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 20 (1 day later). Frost-free season 256 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Fort Worth: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 3, 20% March 27, 30% March 20, 40% March 16, 50% March 11, 60% March 8, 70% March 3, 80% February 27, 90% February 21. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 February 20, 2022 March 12, 2023 March 19, 2024 February 18, 2025 February 22, 2026 March 16.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 3Mar 11Feb 212021: February 202022: March 122023: March 192024: February 182025: February 222026: March 16Fall near Fort Worth: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 3, 20% November 8, 30% November 12, 40% November 15, 50% November 19, 60% November 24, 70% November 27, 80% December 1, 90% December 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 26, 2022 November 12, 2023 November 1, 2024 November 29, 2025 November 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 3Nov 19Dec 62021: November 262022: November 122023: November 12024: November 292025: November 10
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021February 20November 26
2022March 12November 12
2023March 19November 1
2024February 18November 29
2025February 22November 10
2026March 16season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 3 is the cautious spring light-frost date for the Fort Worth area; it marks the point when only a 10 % chance of a frost later than this date remains, allowing a gardener to set out tender crops with relatively low risk.

The median light-frost dates are March 11 in spring and November 19 in fall, each representing a 50 % chance of a frost occurring on either side of the date. For a cautious plan, the fall light-frost date of November 3—when only a 10 % chance of a frost earlier than this date exists—guides the latest time to finish harvesting tender crops. The 28 °F hard-frost median dates are February 28 in spring and December 1 in fall, indicating when the odds of a hard frost are evenly split.

A hard frost matters more than a light frost because temperatures at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives the milder 32 °F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 3" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before November 3" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Fort Worth, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Dallas (Dallas-Fort Worth Airport), TX — 21 mi; 2 — Burleson, TX — 22 mi; 3 — Dallas (Love Field), TX — 29 mi; 4 — Denton, TX — 30 mi; 5 — Cleburne, TX — 35 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Dallas (Dallas-Fort Worth Airport), TX — 21 mi12. Burleson, TX — 22 mi23. Dallas (Love Field), TX — 29 mi34. Denton, TX — 30 mi45. Cleburne, TX — 35 mi5
  1. Dallas (Dallas-Fort Worth Airport), TX 21 mi (33 km)
  2. Burleson, TX 22 mi (35 km)
  3. Dallas (Love Field), TX 29 mi (47 km)
  4. Denton, TX 30 mi (49 km)
  5. Cleburne, TX 35 mi (56 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 32.8192, -97.3614.