USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 78076 — Zapata, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Zapata 1 S, TX (320 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Zapata in 77% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 22 and the last spring frost around January 19; after February 25 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 19
- First fall frost
- December 22
- Winters with a freeze
- 77%
- 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
- 6%
- Snow per year
- 0.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
1 of 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Zapata
In the 77% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Zapata 1 S, TX see their last 32°F night by January 19; only one in ten is past it by December 17, and one in ten still has one after February 25. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 25 is under 8% and after January 19 39%. The 37 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 98% 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 22 in half of years, as early as November 28 one year in ten, and holds off past January 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 36% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 341 days in a typical year, longer than at 98% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 302 one year in ten. On average 4 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 9, 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°F98% of yrs | Jan 7 | Jan 20 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 | Feb 9 | Feb 16 | Feb 23 | Mar 1 | Mar 7 |
| 32°F77% of yrs | Dec 17 | Dec 29 | Jan 5 | Jan 13 | Jan 19 | Jan 27 | Feb 4 | Feb 14 | Feb 25 |
| 28°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% 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°F98% of yrs | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 | Dec 26 | Jan 6 |
| 32°F77% of yrs | Nov 28 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 | Jan 4 | Jan 12 | Jan 27 |
| 28°F36% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F2% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Zapata 1 S, 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 78076 →Compare Zapata with another place →
Weather by month in Zapata
August is the warmest month at Zapata 1 S, TX, averaging 99°F by day and 77°F at night; January is the coldest at 68°F and 47°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 22% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 9,011 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 96% of the 351 Texas stations. 46% of them (4,137) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,175. Precipitation totals 20.4 inches a year, most in September (4.4") and least in February (0.5"); May to September bring 68% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 47 | 0.8 | 44% | 1 | 263 |
| Feb | 74 | 51 | 0.5 | 22% | 1 | 364 |
| Mar | 81 | 58 | 0.7 | 6% | <1 | 609 |
| Apr | 88 | 64 | 1.2 | 0% | 0 | 788 |
| May | 93 | 71 | 2.6 | 0% | 0 | 1004 |
| Jun | 98 | 76 | 2.6 | 0% | 0 | 1110 |
| Jul | 98 | 77 | 2.8 | 0% | 0 | 1158 |
| Aug | 99 | 77 | 1.5 | 0% | 0 | 1175 |
| Sep | 93 | 73 | 4.4 | 0% | 0 | 981 |
| Oct | 87 | 65 | 1.4 | 0% | <1 | 799 |
| Nov | 76 | 56 | 1.2 | 9% | <1 | 485 |
| Dec | 68 | 48 | 0.7 | 42% | 1 | 277 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Zapata 1 S, TX (320 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, Falcon Dam, TX, 25 miles south of Zapata, has a last frost 10 days earlier (January 9), a first frost 10 days later (January 1), a season 22 days longer.
When it snows in Zapata, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 1 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Zapata 1 S, TX, 3.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 78076 is 3 miles from Zapata 1 S, TX, which stands at 320 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 78076 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.