USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 78409 — Corpus Christi, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Corpus Christi, TX (45 ft), 2 miles south.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Corpus Christi in 89% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 21 and the last spring frost around January 28; after February 28 the chance of another is under 9%.
- Last spring frost
- January 28
- First fall frost
- December 21
- 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
- 10%
- Snow per year
- 0.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
2 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Corpus Christi
In the 89% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Corpus Christi, TX see their last 32°F night by January 28; only one in ten is past it by December 16, and one in ten still has one after February 28. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 28 is under 9% and after January 28 44%. The 31 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 92% 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 21 in half of years, as early as November 25 one year in ten, and holds off past January 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around December 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is February 16, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 331 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 287 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 19 days longer, to about February 16, and return around December 5. A 24°F night is unusual: 17% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jan 19 | Jan 29 | Feb 5 | Feb 11 | Feb 16 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 11 |
| 32°F89% of yrs | Dec 16 | Dec 31 | Jan 9 | Jan 18 | Jan 28 | Feb 3 | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 28 |
| 28°F52% of yrs | Dec 11 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 8 | Jan 17 | Jan 30 | Feb 5 | Feb 16 |
| 24°F17% 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°F | Nov 13 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 23 | Jan 3 |
| 32°F89% of yrs | Nov 25 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 14 | Dec 21 | Dec 28 | Jan 2 | Jan 10 | Jan 26 |
| 28°F52% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 18 | Dec 24 | Dec 30 | Jan 2 | Jan 7 | Jan 19 | Feb 4 |
| 24°F17% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 20°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Corpus Christi, 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 78409 →Compare Corpus Christi with another place →
Weather by month in Corpus Christi
August is the warmest month at Corpus Christi, TX, averaging 95°F by day and 76°F at night; January is the coldest at 68°F and 48°F. From March to October the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 34% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 8,481 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 93% of the 351 Texas stations. 44% of them (3,762) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 1,097. Precipitation totals 31.7 inches a year, most in September (5.4") and least in February (1.3"); May to September bring 56% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 48 | 1.4 | 54% | 1 | 276 |
| Feb | 72 | 52 | 1.3 | 34% | 1 | 345 |
| Mar | 77 | 58 | 2.3 | 8% | <1 | 542 |
| Apr | 83 | 64 | 2.0 | 0% | 0 | 702 |
| May | 87 | 71 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 899 |
| Jun | 92 | 75 | 3.6 | 0% | 0 | 997 |
| Jul | 94 | 76 | 2.5 | 0% | 0 | 1073 |
| Aug | 95 | 76 | 2.8 | 0% | 0 | 1097 |
| Sep | 91 | 73 | 5.4 | 0% | 0 | 957 |
| Oct | 85 | 65 | 3.1 | 0% | 0 | 780 |
| Nov | 76 | 56 | 2.0 | 14% | <1 | 491 |
| Dec | 70 | 50 | 1.9 | 51% | 1 | 322 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Corpus Christi, TX (45 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, Corpus Christi NWS, TX, 2 miles south of Corpus Christi, has a last frost 3 days later (January 31), a first frost 1 day later (December 22).
When it snows in Corpus Christi, Texas
Measurable snow is rare here: only 2 of 21 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Corpus Christi, TX, 1.6 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 78409 is 2 miles from Corpus Christi, TX, which stands at 45 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 78409 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.