U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00023042 · Texas

Frost Dates for Lubbock, TX

NOAA weather station Lubbock (USW00023042), Texas · elevation 3259 ft (993 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 22only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season210 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Lubbock, TXSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 19 in 1 year out of 10, before November 2 in half of the years, before November 14 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 210 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 2Frost season at Lubbock, TXSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 19 in 1 year out of 10, before November 2 in half of the years, before November 14 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 210 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 2
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 22October 19
50% (typical)April 4November 2
90% (likely)March 17November 14
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
210 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 22
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 11

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 6 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 2. Frost-free season 210 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 at Lubbock: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 22, 20% April 17, 30% April 12, 40% April 8, 50% April 4, 60% April 1, 70% March 28, 80% March 24, 90% March 17. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 21, 2022 April 8, 2023 April 7, 2024 March 26, 2025 April 5, 2026 March 16.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 22Apr 4Mar 172021: April 212022: April 82023: April 72024: March 262025: April 52026: March 16Fall at Lubbock: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 19, 20% October 24, 30% October 28, 40% November 1, 50% November 2, 60% November 4, 70% November 7, 80% November 10, 90% November 14. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 18, 2022 November 11, 2023 October 29, 2024 November 20, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 19Nov 2Nov 142021: November 182022: November 112023: October 292024: November 202025: October 30
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
2021April 21November 18
2022April 8November 11
2023April 7October 29
2024March 26November 20
2025April 5October 30
2026March 16season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 22 is the cautious spring date, marking a 10% chance of a light frost later, and it lets a gardener plan to set out tender crops with relatively low risk.

The 50% date of April 4 indicates an even-odds point for a light frost, while the 50% date of November 2 serves the same purpose in fall. The hard-frost 50% dates, March 22 in spring and November 11 in fall, show the median point for a 28 °F frost, which can damage plants more severely than a 32 °F light frost.

October 19 is the cautious fall date, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, allowing a gardener to schedule the final harvest of tender crops. Because a hard frost (28 °F) can kill or severely injure plant tissue that survives a light frost (32 °F), it is the more critical threshold to watch.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 22" 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 October 19" 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 Lubbock, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Littlefield, TX — 30 mi; 2 — Levelland, TX — 33 mi; 3 — Floydada, TX — 36 mi; 4 — Plainview, TX — 38 mi; 5 — near Brownfield, TX — 41 mi.NM25 mi · 40 km1. Littlefield, TX — 30 mi12. Levelland, TX — 33 mi23. Floydada, TX — 36 mi34. Plainview, TX — 38 mi45. near Brownfield, TX — 41 mi5
  1. Littlefield, TX 30 mi (48 km)
  2. Levelland, TX 33 mi (53 km)
  3. Floydada, TX 36 mi (58 km)
  4. Plainview, TX 38 mi (60 km)
  5. near Brownfield, TX 41 mi (67 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 33.6542, -101.8136.