Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 8b

Frost Dates for 79932 — El Paso, Texas

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Santa Teresa Airport, NM (4,109 ft), 6 miles west.

Updated

In El Paso, the last spring frost (32°F) is around March 23 in half of years and has passed by April 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 11, as early as October 29 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 231 days (NOAA, Santa Teresa Airport, NM).

Last spring frost
March 23

50% probability

First fall frost
November 11

50% probability

Growing season
231 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
8b

15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
0%

0 of 18 observed

Snow per year
0"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in El Paso

Half of springs at Santa Teresa Airport, NM see their last 32°F night by March 23; only one in ten is past it by March 3, 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 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% 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 29 one year in ten, and holds off past November 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is March 25, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 231 days in a typical year, shorter than at 74% of the 339 Texas stations; it reaches 256 days one year in ten and falls short of 209 one year in ten. On average 65 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 6, and return around November 2. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 100% of winters and 16°F in 61%.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMar 19Mar 28Apr 1Apr 4Apr 6Apr 10Apr 13Apr 17Apr 23
32°FMar 3Mar 8Mar 13Mar 18Mar 23Mar 27Mar 31Apr 3Apr 9
28°FFeb 16Feb 22Feb 27Mar 2Mar 5Mar 8Mar 11Mar 18Mar 25
24°FJan 28Feb 5Feb 10Feb 15Feb 19Feb 23Mar 1Mar 4Mar 10
20°F97% of yrsDec 30Jan 10Jan 19Jan 26Feb 1Feb 8Feb 13Feb 18Feb 26
16°F61% of yrsDec 12Dec 21Dec 29Jan 4Jan 11Jan 19Jan 30Feb 7Feb 14
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 4
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17
20°F97% of yrsNov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 30Jan 9
16°F61% of yrsDec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 18Feb 2

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Santa Teresa Airport, NM, 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 79932 →Compare El Paso with another place →

Weather by month in El Paso

July is the warmest month at Santa Teresa Airport, NM, averaging 95°F by day and 69°F at night; December is the coldest at 57°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 28% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 5,454 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 89% of the 351 Texas stations. 40% of them (2,206) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 983. Precipitation totals 10.2 inches a year, most in July (2.3") and least in April (0.2"); May to September bring 66% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Santa Teresa Airport, NM
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan58300.5100%2112
Feb63330.5100%1248
Mar71390.391%4192
Apr79470.228%<1380
May87560.40%0660
Jun96650.80%0913
Jul95692.30%0983
Aug93681.70%0945
Sep88621.50%0744
Oct79500.816%1445
Nov66370.597%8116
Dec57300.7100%2015

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Santa Teresa Airport, NM (4,109 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, La Tuna 1 S, TX, 8 miles north of El Paso and 239 feet lower, has a last frost 23 days earlier (February 28), a first frost 9 days later (November 20), a season 33 days longer.

Frost dates for 88081 (Chaparral) →

When it snows in El Paso, Texas

Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 18 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at La Tuna 1 S, TX, 8.2 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Planting calendar for 79932

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for El Paso, Texas
WhenWhat to do
January 12 – January 26Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
January 26 – February 9Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
February 23 – March 9Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
March 23 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 19Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 28Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 11 onwardPlant 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 79932 is 6 miles from Santa Teresa Airport, NM, which stands at 4,109 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 79912 (El Paso). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 79932 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Texas →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 8b places in Texas