USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 79022 — Dalhart, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dalhart, TX (3,984 ft), 5 miles southeast.
Updated
In Dalhart, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 28 in half of years and has passed by May 11 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 20, as early as October 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 173 days (NOAA, Dalhart, TX).
- Last spring frost
- April 28
- First fall frost
- October 20
- Growing season
- 173 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 5
- Last snow
- April 10
- Winters with snow
- 94%
- Snow per year
- 20.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
16 of 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Dalhart
Half of springs at Dalhart, TX see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 14, and one in ten still has one after May 11. Planting tender crops after May 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 6 20%, and after May 11 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 98% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 20 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 31 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 2, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 173 days in a typical year, the shortest of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 190 days one year in ten and falls short of 155 one year in ten. On average 129 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 9 days longer, to about May 7, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 21 and March 10.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 24 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 4 | May 7 | May 9 | May 11 | May 15 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 14 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 11 |
| 28°F | Apr 2 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 2 |
| 24°F | Mar 19 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 22 |
| 20°F | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 26 | Apr 2 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 29 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 |
| 32°F | Oct 6 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 |
| 28°F | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 28 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 |
| 24°F | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 6 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dalhart, 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 79022 →Compare Dalhart with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Dumas, TX, 39 miles southeast of Dalhart and 329 feet lower, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 21), a first frost 4 days later (October 24), a season 10 days longer.
When it snows in Dalhart, Texas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dalhart usually arrives around November 5, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dalhart Municipal Airport, TX, 6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 94% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 18 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 79022
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 17 – March 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 3 – March 17 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 31 – April 14 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 28 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 28 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 6 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 20 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 79022 is 5 miles from Dalhart, TX, which stands at 3,984 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79022 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°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.