USDA Hardiness Zone 9a
Frost Dates for 77434 — Eagle Lake, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, TX (176 ft), 4 miles northwest.
Updated
In Eagle Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) is around February 21 in half of years and has passed by March 14 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around December 1, as early as November 10 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 285 days (NOAA, Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, TX).
- Last spring frost
- February 21
- First fall frost
- December 1
- Growing season
- 285 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
20 to 25°F (-6.7 to -3.9°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Eagle Lake
Half of springs at Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, TX see their last 32°F night by February 21; only one in ten is past it by January 22, and one in ten still has one after March 14. Planting tender crops after March 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 7 20%, and after March 14 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 50% 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 1 in half of years, as early as November 10 one year in ten, and holds off past December 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 17 days later, around December 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 4, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 285 days in a typical year, longer than at 80% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 322 days one year in ten and falls short of 251 one year in ten. On average 14 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 14 days longer, to about March 7, and return around November 18. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 54% of winters and 16°F in 2%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 30 |
| 32°F | Jan 22 | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 7 | Mar 14 |
| 28°F91% of yrs | Dec 25 | Jan 6 | Jan 16 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 6 | Feb 14 | Feb 23 | Mar 4 |
| 24°F54% of yrs | Dec 12 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 14 | Jan 23 | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 18 |
| 20°F16% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
| 32°F | Nov 10 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 28 |
| 28°F91% of yrs | Nov 21 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 | Jan 26 |
| 24°F54% of yrs | Dec 4 | Dec 10 | Dec 19 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 22 | Feb 5 |
| 20°F16% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, 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 77434 →Compare Eagle Lake with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Sealy, TX, 17 miles northeast of Eagle Lake, has a last frost 7 days later (February 28), a first frost 1 day earlier (November 30), a season 9 days shorter.
When it snows in Eagle Lake, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Columbus, TX, 17.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 77434
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 13 – December 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 27 – January 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 24 – February 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 8 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 1 onward | Plant 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 77434 is 4 miles from Eagle Lake Resch Ctr, TX, which stands at 176 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 77434 in zone 9a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 20 to 25°F (-6.7 to -3.9°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.