USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 79424 — Lubbock, Texas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lubbock WFO, TX (3,235 ft), 3 miles east.
Updated
In Lubbock, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 24 in half of years and has passed by April 15 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 11, as early as October 28 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 233 days (NOAA, Lubbock WFO, TX).
- Last spring frost
- March 24
- First fall frost
- November 11
- Growing season
- 233 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 3
- Last snow
- March 6
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Lubbock
Half of springs at Lubbock WFO, TX see their last 32°F night by March 24; only one in ten is past it by March 4, and one in ten still has one after April 15. Planting tender crops after April 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 7 20%, and after April 15 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 63% 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 November 11 in half of years, as early as October 28 one year in ten, and holds off past November 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 1, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 233 days in a typical year, shorter than at 72% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 257 days one year in ten and falls short of 205 one year in ten. On average 61 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 14 days longer, to about April 7, and return around November 2. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 72%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 19 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | Mar 4 | Mar 9 | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 | Apr 7 | Apr 15 |
| 28°F | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 24 | Apr 1 |
| 24°F | Feb 2 | Feb 12 | Feb 18 | Feb 22 | Feb 26 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 15 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Jan 7 | Jan 21 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 11 | Feb 16 | Feb 21 | Feb 26 | Mar 4 |
| 16°F72% of yrs | Dec 18 | Dec 28 | Jan 4 | Jan 12 | Jan 21 | Jan 30 | Feb 7 | Feb 15 | Feb 24 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 32°F | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 |
| 28°F | Nov 4 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 24°F | Nov 13 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 |
| 20°F98% of yrs | Nov 24 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 17 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 3 | Jan 13 |
| 16°F72% of yrs | Dec 6 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 | Jan 3 | Jan 11 | Jan 22 | Feb 5 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lubbock WFO, 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 79424 →Compare Lubbock with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Lubbock, TX, 12 miles northeast of Lubbock, has a last frost 11 days later (April 4), a first frost 9 days earlier (November 2), a season 23 days shorter.
When it snows in Lubbock, Texas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lubbock usually arrives around December 3, and the last of the season around March 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lubbock, TX, 11.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 18 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 79424
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 13 – January 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| January 27 – February 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| March 24 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 19 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 28 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 11 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 79424 is 3 miles from Lubbock WFO, TX, which stands at 3,235 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 13 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79424 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°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.