USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 93117 — Goleta, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Santa Barbara 11 W, CA (18 ft), 4 miles southeast.
Updated
Frost is not a yearly event in Goleta: a night at or below 32°F came in 46% of the winters of 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara 11 W, CA, and a 36°F night, cold enough for frost on exposed leaves, in 95%. There is no reliable "last frost date" here; most years have none.
- Winters with a freeze
- 46%
- Winters with 36°F
- 95%
- Coldest month low
- 42°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 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Goleta
At Santa Barbara 11 W, CA, 4 miles southeast of Goleta, 46% of the winters of 1991–2020 had at least one night at or below 32°F, 10% reached 28°F. Nights of 36°F, enough for frost on exposed leaves, are more common (95% of winters) and, when they come, fall between about December 6 and February 3. December is the month most likely to bring one: a 29% 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.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F95% of yrs | Dec 28 | Jan 6 | Jan 17 | Jan 28 | Feb 3 | Feb 11 | Feb 21 | Feb 28 | Mar 9 |
| 32°F46% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 28°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F0% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F95% of yrs | Nov 19 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 | Dec 28 | Jan 9 |
| 32°F46% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 28°F10% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F0% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara 11 W, 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 93117 →Compare Goleta with another place →
Weather by month in Goleta
August is the warmest month at Santa Barbara 11 W, CA, averaging 72°F by day and 57°F at night; December is the coldest at 63°F and 42°F. From February to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,136 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 81% of the 283 California stations. 38% of them (1,201) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 436.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 43 | 21% | 1 | 112 |
| Feb | 62 | 44 | 2% | 0 | 102 |
| Mar | 65 | 46 | 0% | 0 | 173 |
| Apr | 65 | 48 | 0% | 0 | 199 |
| May | 68 | 51 | 0% | 0 | 290 |
| Jun | 68 | 54 | 0% | 0 | 326 |
| Jul | 71 | 57 | 0% | 0 | 432 |
| Aug | 72 | 57 | 0% | 0 | 436 |
| Sep | 71 | 56 | 0% | 0 | 416 |
| Oct | 72 | 51 | 0% | 0 | 356 |
| Nov | 68 | 46 | 5% | <1 | 201 |
| Dec | 63 | 42 | 29% | 1 | 95 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Santa Barbara 11 W, CA (18 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, 6 miles east of Goleta, has a 32°F night in 81% of winters against 46% here, and a coolest-month low 2°F colder (40°F).
When it snows in Goleta, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 19 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Cachuma Lake, CA, 9.8 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 93117 is 4 miles from Santa Barbara 11 W, CA, which stands at 18 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 93117 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.