USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 79118 — Amarillo, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Amarillo 7ENE, TX (3,590 ft), 11 miles northeast.
Updated
In Amarillo, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 15 in half of years and has passed by April 29 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 29, as early as October 16 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 196 days (NOAA, Amarillo 7ENE, TX).
- Last spring frost
- April 15
- First fall frost
- October 29
- Growing season
- 196 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
- November 23
- Last snow
- March 25
- Winters with snow
- 97%
- Snow per year
- 17.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
29 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Amarillo
Half of springs at Amarillo 7ENE, TX see their last 32°F night by April 15; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 22 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 16 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 22, 7 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 177 one year in ten. On average 117 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 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and February 21.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 30 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 |
| 28°F | Mar 14 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 22 |
| 24°F | Mar 2 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 11 |
| 20°F | Feb 16 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 30 |
| 16°F | Jan 26 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 17 | Feb 21 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 13 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 25 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 18 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 10 |
| 16°F | Nov 15 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 10 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Dec 31 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Amarillo 7ENE, 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 79118 →Compare Amarillo with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Amarillo, TX, 11 miles northeast of Amarillo, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 13), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 27), a season 1 day shorter.
When it snows in Amarillo, Texas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Amarillo usually arrives around November 23, and the last of the season around March 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Amarillo, TX, 10.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 97% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 21 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 79118
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 4 – February 18 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 18 – March 4 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 18 – April 1 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 15 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 6 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 15 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 29 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 79118 is 11 miles from Amarillo 7ENE, TX, which stands at 3,590 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 79109 (Amarillo). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79118 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.