Frost Dates for 79855 — Van Horn, Texas

Half of springs at Van Horn, TX see their last 32°F night by March 21; only one in ten is past it by March 2, and one in ten still has one after April 9. Planting tender crops after March 31 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 3 20%, and after April 9 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 63% of the 339 Texas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 11 in half of years, as early as October 27 one year in ten, and holds off past November 24 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 March 23, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 234 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 256 days one year in ten and falls short of 208 one year in ten. On average 70 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 16 days longer, to about April 6, and return around November 1. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 56%.

July is the warmest month at Van Horn, TX, averaging 93°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 59°F and 30°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 27% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,530 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 88% of the 351 Texas stations. 42% of them (2,322) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 949. Precipitation totals 10.4 inches a year, most in July (2.1") and least in April (0.2"); May to September bring 69% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Van Horn usually arrives around December 24, and the last of the season around January 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Van Horn, TX, 9.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 66% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 62 days after the last snow.

ZIP 79855 is 9 miles from Van Horn, TX, which stands at 4,065 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79855 in zone 8a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.