USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 79086 — Sunray, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dumas, TX (3,655 ft), 17 miles southwest.
Updated
In Sunray, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 24, as early as October 5 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 183 days (NOAA, Dumas, TX).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 183 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 4
- Last snow
- March 12
- Winters with snow
- 91%
- Snow per year
- 9.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
21 of 23 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Sunray
Half of springs at Dumas, TX see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 75% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 24 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past November 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 183 days in a typical year, shorter than at 98% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 204 days one year in ten and falls short of 160 one year in ten. On average 124 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 May 2, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 2.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 13 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 4 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 23 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 | Apr 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 19 |
| 20°F | Feb 26 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 7 |
| 16°F | Feb 10 | Feb 18 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 23 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 30 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 |
| 32°F | Oct 5 | Oct 13 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 28°F | Oct 15 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 24°F | Oct 26 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 |
| 20°F | Nov 2 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 16°F | Nov 11 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 19 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dumas, 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 79086 →Compare Sunray with another place →
Weather by month in Sunray
July is the warmest month at Dumas, TX, averaging 92°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 49°F and 22°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 25% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,137 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 351 Texas stations. 36% of them (1,480) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 888. Precipitation totals 17.8 inches a year, most in August (3.0") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 65% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 22 | 0.4 | 100% | 28 | 4 |
| Feb | 53 | 24 | 0.4 | 100% | 23 | 14 |
| Mar | 62 | 32 | 1.0 | 100% | 17 | 77 |
| Apr | 70 | 39 | 1.4 | 94% | 7 | 196 |
| May | 79 | 50 | 1.9 | 25% | 1 | 452 |
| Jun | 89 | 60 | 2.3 | 2% | 0 | 738 |
| Jul | 92 | 65 | 2.7 | 0% | 0 | 888 |
| Aug | 90 | 64 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 840 |
| Sep | 83 | 56 | 1.7 | 4% | <1 | 591 |
| Oct | 72 | 43 | 1.8 | 75% | 4 | 269 |
| Nov | 59 | 31 | 0.5 | 100% | 17 | 63 |
| Dec | 49 | 23 | 0.7 | 100% | 28 | 6 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Dumas, TX (3,655 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, Gruver, TX, 25 miles northeast of Sunray and 485 feet lower, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day earlier (October 23), a season 1 day shorter.
When it snows in Sunray, Texas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sunray usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dumas, TX, 17.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 91% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 40 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 79086
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 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 79086 is 17 miles from Dumas, TX, which stands at 3,655 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 79029 (Dumas). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79086 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.
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.