USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 77486 — West Columbia, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Angleton 2 W, TX (27 ft), 12 miles east.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches West Columbia in 84% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 31 and the last spring frost around January 29; after March 10 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 29
- First fall frost
- December 31
- Winters with a freeze
- 84%
- 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
- 5%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
1 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in West Columbia
In the 84% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Angleton 2 W, TX see their last 32°F night by January 29; only one in ten is past it by December 27, and one in ten still has one after March 10. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after March 10 is under 8% and after January 29 42%. The 40 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 99% 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 31 in half of years, as early as November 26 one year in ten, and holds off past February 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 42% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 333 days in a typical year, longer than at 96% 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 22 days longer, to about February 20, and return around December 6. A 24°F night is unusual: 10% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Jan 16 | Jan 27 | Feb 3 | Feb 11 | Feb 20 | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 13 | Mar 24 |
| 32°F84% of yrs | Dec 27 | Jan 8 | Jan 14 | Jan 23 | Jan 29 | Feb 4 | Feb 13 | Feb 27 | Mar 10 |
| 28°F42% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Nov 12 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 21 | Jan 1 | Jan 12 |
| 32°F84% of yrs | Nov 26 | Dec 4 | Dec 14 | Dec 24 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 20 | Feb 1 |
| 28°F42% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Angleton 2 W, 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 77486 →Compare West Columbia with another place →
Weather by month in West Columbia
August is the warmest month at Angleton 2 W, TX, averaging 92°F by day and 76°F at night; January is the coldest at 64°F and 47°F. From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 27% of years and March still brings one in 16% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 7,755 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 85% of the 351 Texas stations. 42% of them (3,293) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,052. Precipitation totals 53.5 inches a year, most in September (6.8") and least in February (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 | 64 | 47 | 4.2 | 57% | 2 | 219 |
| Feb | 68 | 51 | 2.8 | 27% | 1 | 279 |
| Mar | 72 | 56 | 3.2 | 16% | <1 | 440 |
| Apr | 77 | 62 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 578 |
| May | 84 | 70 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 826 |
| Jun | 89 | 75 | 5.4 | 0% | 0 | 951 |
| Jul | 91 | 76 | 4.4 | 0% | 0 | 1042 |
| Aug | 92 | 76 | 5.1 | 0% | 0 | 1052 |
| Sep | 88 | 73 | 6.8 | 0% | 0 | 922 |
| Oct | 82 | 64 | 4.9 | 0% | 0 | 714 |
| Nov | 73 | 55 | 4.2 | 12% | 1 | 436 |
| Dec | 67 | 50 | 4.6 | 34% | 1 | 297 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Angleton 2 W, TX (27 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, Angleton Brazoria Airport, TX, 13 miles east of West Columbia, has a last frost 15 days later (February 13), a first frost 23 days earlier (December 8), a season 32 days shorter.
When it snows in West Columbia, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Angleton 2 W, TX, 12.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 77486 is 12 miles from Angleton 2 W, TX, which stands at 27 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 77515 (Angleton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 77486 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.