USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 77062 — Houston, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Houston Clover Field, TX (44 ft), 8 miles southwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Houston in 89% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 27 and the last spring frost around January 31; after March 5 the chance of another is under 9%.
- Last spring frost
- January 31
- First fall frost
- December 27
- Winters with a freeze
- 89%
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 15%
- Snow per year
- 0.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
3 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Houston
In the 89% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Houston Clover Field, TX see their last 32°F night by January 31; only one in ten is past it by January 1, and one in ten still has one after March 5. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 5 is under 9% and after January 31 44%. The 33 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 95% 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 December 27 in half of years, as early as November 28 one year in ten, and holds off past January 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around January 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is February 20, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 328 days in a typical year, longer than at 94% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 286 one year in ten. On average 6 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 21 days longer, to about February 21, and return around December 3. A 24°F night is unusual: 13% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 27 | Mar 4 | Mar 10 | Mar 18 |
| 32°F89% of yrs | Jan 1 | Jan 12 | Jan 21 | Jan 27 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 15 | Feb 24 | Mar 5 |
| 28°F51% of yrs | Dec 22 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 11 | Jan 18 | Jan 23 | Jan 30 | Feb 5 | Feb 20 |
| 24°F13% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 13 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 23 | Jan 2 |
| 32°F89% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 20 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 28 |
| 28°F51% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 12 | Jan 19 | Jan 28 | Feb 4 |
| 24°F13% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Houston Clover Field, 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 77062 →Compare Houston with another place →
Weather by month in Houston
August is the warmest month at Houston Clover Field, TX, averaging 94°F by day and 76°F at night; January is the coldest at 65°F and 46°F. From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 34% of years and March still brings one in 14% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 7,903 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 88% of the 351 Texas stations. 43% of them (3,424) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,088. Precipitation totals 53.2 inches a year, most in October (5.8") and least in March (2.8"); May to September bring 48% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 46 | 3.6 | 66% | 3 | 212 |
| Feb | 68 | 50 | 2.9 | 34% | 1 | 276 |
| Mar | 74 | 55 | 2.8 | 14% | <1 | 460 |
| Apr | 80 | 62 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 615 |
| May | 86 | 70 | 5.1 | 0% | 0 | 860 |
| Jun | 91 | 75 | 5.2 | 0% | 0 | 1000 |
| Jul | 93 | 76 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 1077 |
| Aug | 94 | 76 | 5.6 | 0% | 0 | 1088 |
| Sep | 90 | 72 | 5.4 | 0% | 0 | 933 |
| Oct | 83 | 63 | 5.8 | 0% | 0 | 716 |
| Nov | 73 | 54 | 4.2 | 11% | <1 | 411 |
| Dec | 66 | 48 | 4.7 | 44% | 2 | 253 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Houston Clover Field, TX (44 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, Houston NWSO, TX, 8 miles south of Houston, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 13 days earlier (December 14), a season 11 days shorter.
When it snows in Houston, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 3 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Houston NWSO, TX, 7.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 77062 is 8 miles from Houston Clover Field, TX, which stands at 44 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 77584 (Pearland). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 77062 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
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.