USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 93105 — Santa Barbara, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Santa Barbara, CA (16 ft), 4 miles east.
Updated
Frost is not a yearly event in Santa Barbara: a night at or below 32°F came in 11% of the winters of 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara, CA, and a 36°F night, cold enough for frost on exposed leaves, in 48%. There is no reliable "last frost date" here; most years have none.
- Winters with a freeze
- 11%
- Winters with 36°F
- 48%
- Coldest month low
- 46°F
- Hardiness zone
- 10a
32°F or below, 1991–2020
frost possible on leaves
average, December
30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- 0"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Santa Barbara
At Santa Barbara, CA, 4 miles east of Santa Barbara, 11% of the winters of 1991–2020 had at least one night at or below 32°F, 3% reached 28°F. Even a 36°F night came in only 48% of winters. January is the month most likely to bring one: a 5% chance in a given year. 62 of the 283 other California stations behind this site's ZIP pages freeze in fewer than half of winters too.
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara, CA, 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 93105 →Compare Santa Barbara with another place →
Weather by month in Santa Barbara
August is the warmest month at Santa Barbara, CA, averaging 78°F by day and 60°F at night; December is the coldest at 66°F and 46°F. Every month stays under a 10% chance of a 32°F night; January is the likeliest at 5%.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,595 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 51% of the 283 California stations. 41% of them (1,878) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 589. Precipitation totals 18.9 inches a year, most in January (4.4") and least in July (0.0"); May to September bring 3% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 47 | 4.4 | 5% | <1 | 209 |
| Feb | 67 | 47 | 4.4 | 3% | <1 | 201 |
| Mar | 68 | 49 | 3.2 | 0% | 0 | 276 |
| Apr | 71 | 51 | 1.0 | 0% | 0 | 336 |
| May | 72 | 54 | 0.4 | 0% | 0 | 401 |
| Jun | 73 | 57 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 455 |
| Jul | 76 | 60 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 567 |
| Aug | 78 | 60 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 589 |
| Sep | 78 | 60 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 558 |
| Oct | 76 | 56 | 0.8 | 0% | <1 | 491 |
| Nov | 71 | 50 | 1.4 | 0% | 0 | 318 |
| Dec | 66 | 46 | 3.1 | 4% | 0 | 193 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara, CA (16 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, Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA, 5 miles west of Santa Barbara, has a 32°F night in 81% of winters against 11% here, and a coolest-month low 6°F colder (40°F).
When it snows in Santa Barbara, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Santa Barbara, CA, 4.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 93105 is 4 miles from Santa Barbara, CA, which stands at 16 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 93101 (Santa Barbara). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 93105 in zone 10a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 30 to 35°F (-1.1 to 1.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across California →
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.