USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 77968 — Inez, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Victoria Regional Airport, TX (104 ft), 7 miles southwest.
Updated
In Inez, the last spring frost (32°F) is around February 4 in half of years and has passed by March 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around December 9, as early as November 18 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 309 days (NOAA, Victoria Regional Airport, TX).
- Last spring frost
- February 4
- First fall frost
- December 9
- Growing season
- 309 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 7%
- Snow per year
- 0.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
1 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Inez
Half of springs at Victoria Regional Airport, TX see their last 32°F night by February 4; only one in ten is past it by December 30, and one in ten still has one after March 5. Planting tender crops after February 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after February 26 20%, and after March 5 10%. The 29 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% 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 9 in half of years, as early as November 18 one year in ten, and holds off past January 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 23 days later, around January 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is February 21, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 309 days in a typical year, longer than at 91% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 348 days one year in ten and falls short of 272 one year in ten. On average 7 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 26, and return around November 26. A 24°F night is unusual: 28% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jan 28 | Feb 5 | Feb 15 | Feb 21 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 18 |
| 32°F97% of yrs | Dec 30 | Jan 15 | Jan 23 | Jan 29 | Feb 4 | Feb 11 | Feb 19 | Feb 26 | Mar 5 |
| 28°F70% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 29 | Jan 5 | Jan 12 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 | Feb 10 | Feb 21 |
| 24°F28% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 7 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 19 |
| 32°F97% of yrs | Nov 18 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 17 | Dec 25 | Jan 2 | Jan 13 |
| 28°F70% of yrs | Dec 1 | Dec 8 | Dec 16 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 4 | Jan 10 | Jan 19 | Feb 2 |
| 24°F28% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Victoria 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 77968 →Compare Inez with another place →
Weather by month in Inez
August is the warmest month at Victoria Regional Airport, TX, averaging 94°F by day and 75°F at night; January is the coldest at 65°F and 45°F. From April to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 44% of years and March still brings one in 16% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 7,832 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 85% of the 351 Texas stations. 43% of them (3,379) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,080. Precipitation totals 40.1 inches a year, most in May (5.2") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 51% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 45 | 2.8 | 72% | 3 | 205 |
| Feb | 69 | 49 | 2.0 | 44% | 1 | 274 |
| Mar | 74 | 55 | 2.7 | 16% | 1 | 457 |
| Apr | 80 | 61 | 2.7 | 0% | 0 | 616 |
| May | 86 | 69 | 5.2 | 0% | 0 | 848 |
| Jun | 92 | 74 | 4.1 | 0% | 0 | 979 |
| Jul | 94 | 75 | 3.3 | 0% | 0 | 1062 |
| Aug | 94 | 75 | 3.2 | 0% | 0 | 1080 |
| Sep | 90 | 71 | 4.6 | 0% | 0 | 925 |
| Oct | 84 | 63 | 3.9 | 1% | 0 | 718 |
| Nov | 74 | 53 | 3.1 | 30% | <1 | 420 |
| Dec | 67 | 47 | 2.5 | 64% | 2 | 248 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Victoria Regional Airport, TX (104 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, Victoria Regional Airport, TX, 7 miles west of Inez, has a last frost 14 days later (February 18), a first frost 5 days earlier (December 4), a season 18 days shorter.
When it snows in Inez, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 15 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Victoria Regional Airport, TX, 6.7 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 77968
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November 26 – December 10 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 10 – December 24 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 7 – January 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 16 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 25 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 9 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 77968 is 7 miles from Victoria Regional Airport, TX, which stands at 104 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 77968 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.