Frost Dates for 79068 — Panhandle, Texas

Half of springs at Panhandle, TX see their last 32°F night by April 15; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 21 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 25 20%, and after April 29 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 96% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 29 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 196 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 216 days one year in ten and falls short of 175 one year in ten. On average 122 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 11 days longer, to about April 26, and return around October 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and February 24.

July is the warmest month at Panhandle, TX, averaging 93°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 50°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 87% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,459 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 96% of the 351 Texas stations. 37% of them (1,645) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 924. Precipitation totals 21.0 inches a year, most in June (3.2") and least in January (0.5"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Amarillo, TX, 19 miles west of Panhandle, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 13), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 27), a season 1 day shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Panhandle usually arrives around December 2, and the last of the season around March 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Panhandle, TX, 1.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 90% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 79068 is 1 mile from Panhandle, TX, which stands at 3,463 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79068 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.