Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 8b

Frost Dates for 75662 — Kilgore, Texas

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX (365 ft), 10 miles east.

Updated

In Kilgore, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 8 in half of years and has passed by March 31 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 17, as early as November 2 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 251 days (NOAA, Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX).

Last spring frost
March 8

50% probability

First fall frost
November 17

50% probability

Growing season
251 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
8b

15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
25%

6 of 24 observed

Snow per year
0.7"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Kilgore

Half of springs at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX see their last 32°F night by March 8; only one in ten is past it by February 19, and one in ten still has one after March 31. Planting tender crops after March 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 23 20%, and after March 31 10%. The 23 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 72% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 17 in half of years, as early as November 2 one year in ten, and holds off past December 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 15, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 251 days in a typical year, longer than at 53% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 279 days one year in ten and falls short of 223 one year in ten. On average 35 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 17 days longer, to about March 25, and return around November 6. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 94% of winters and 16°F in 22%.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMar 2Mar 10Mar 15Mar 20Mar 25Mar 30Apr 2Apr 6Apr 13
32°FFeb 19Feb 25Feb 28Mar 4Mar 8Mar 13Mar 17Mar 23Mar 31
28°FJan 28Feb 5Feb 14Feb 20Feb 24Mar 1Mar 5Mar 10Mar 15
24°F94% of yrsDec 31Jan 15Jan 23Jan 29Feb 3Feb 9Feb 17Feb 25Mar 5
20°F62% of yrsDec 21Dec 31Jan 6Jan 12Jan 19Jan 26Feb 1Feb 8Feb 19
16°F22% of yrstoo rare for a date
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 24Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21
32°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29Dec 3
28°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15Dec 25
24°F94% of yrsNov 24Dec 1Dec 6Dec 12Dec 20Dec 27Jan 1Jan 7Jan 19
20°F62% of yrsDec 7Dec 17Dec 25Dec 31Jan 3Jan 8Jan 15Jan 27Feb 6
16°F22% of yrstoo rare for a date

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.

Frost risk on any date in 75662 →Compare Kilgore with another place →

Weather by month in Kilgore

July is the warmest month at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX, averaging 94°F by day and 74°F at night; January is the coldest at 58°F and 37°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from December to February (a 90% chance or more). From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, March still brings one in 66% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 6,422 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 51% of the 351 Texas stations. 41% of them (2,627) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,052. Precipitation totals 45.4 inches a year, most in May (4.8") and least in July (2.5"); May to September bring 38% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan58373.699%1291
Feb62403.893%7131
Mar70474.566%2292
Apr77543.910%0468
May84634.80%0730
Jun91704.20%0915
Jul94742.50%01052
Aug95732.60%01046
Sep89663.20%0829
Oct79554.07%<1528
Nov68453.881%3233
Dec60394.598%11107

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX (365 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Longview, TX, 11 miles northeast of Kilgore, has a last frost 8 days later (March 16), a first frost 3 days earlier (November 14), a season 7 days shorter.

Frost dates for 75602 (Longview) →

When it snows in Kilgore, Texas

Measurable snow is rare here: only 6 of 24 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Longview, TX, 10.9 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Planting calendar for 75662

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Kilgore, Texas
WhenWhat to do
December 28 – January 11Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
January 11 – January 25Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
February 8 – February 22Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
March 8 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 25Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by November 3Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 17 onwardPlant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter.

The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 75662 is 10 miles from Longview E Tx Regional Airport, TX, which stands at 365 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 75662 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Texas →

Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 8b places in Texas