USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 93106 — Santa Barbara, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA (9 ft), under a mile southwest.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Santa Barbara in 81% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 16 and the last spring frost around January 11; after February 13 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 11
- First fall frost
- December 16
- Winters with a freeze
- 81%
- Hardiness zone
- 10a
50%, in freezing years
50%, in freezing years
32°F or below, 1991–2020
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
In the 81% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA see their last 32°F night by January 11; only one in ten is past it by December 14, and one in ten still has one after February 13. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 13 is under 8% and after January 11 40%. The 33 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 61% of the 220 California 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 December 16 in half of years, as early as December 1 one year in ten, and holds off past January 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 26% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 342 days in a typical year, longer than at 89% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 309 one year in ten. On average 6 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 33 days longer, to about February 13, and return around December 1. A 24°F night is unusual: 3% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jan 9 | Jan 24 | Feb 1 | Feb 7 | Feb 13 | Feb 19 | Feb 26 | Mar 3 | Mar 17 |
| 32°F81% of yrs | Dec 14 | Dec 25 | Dec 31 | Jan 4 | Jan 11 | Jan 19 | Jan 28 | Feb 2 | Feb 13 |
| 28°F26% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Nov 11 | Nov 18 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 20 |
| 32°F81% of yrs | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 8 | Dec 12 | Dec 16 | Dec 22 | Dec 29 | Jan 4 | Jan 18 |
| 28°F26% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F3% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, 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 93106 →Compare Santa Barbara with another place →
Weather by month in Santa Barbara
August is the warmest month at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA, averaging 75°F by day and 58°F at night; December is the coldest at 64°F and 40°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 18% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,460 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 73% of the 283 California stations. 39% of them (1,342) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 504. Precipitation totals 17.2 inches a year, most in February (3.9") 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 | 64 | 41 | 3.8 | 46% | 2 | 105 |
| Feb | 64 | 44 | 3.9 | 18% | 1 | 117 |
| Mar | 66 | 46 | 3.1 | 1% | 0 | 192 |
| Apr | 68 | 48 | 0.9 | 0% | 0 | 239 |
| May | 69 | 51 | 0.4 | 0% | 0 | 318 |
| Jun | 70 | 55 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 372 |
| Jul | 73 | 58 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 487 |
| Aug | 75 | 58 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 504 |
| Sep | 74 | 56 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 450 |
| Oct | 73 | 51 | 0.7 | 0% | 0 | 377 |
| Nov | 69 | 44 | 1.3 | 8% | <1 | 206 |
| Dec | 64 | 40 | 2.9 | 56% | 3 | 94 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA (9 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 11 W, CA, 3 miles southwest of Santa Barbara, has a 32°F night in 46% of winters against 81% here, and a coolest-month low 2°F warmer (42°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, 8.8 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 93106 is under a mile from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA, which stands at 9 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 93111 (Santa Barbara). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 93106 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.