USDA Hardiness Zone 10a
Frost Dates for 95054 — Santa Clara, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from San Jose, CA (51 ft), 3 miles southeast.
Updated
A freeze (32°F) reaches Santa Clara in 76% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 22 and the last spring frost around January 12; after February 14 the chance of another is under 8%.
- Last spring frost
- January 12
- First fall frost
- December 22
- Winters with a freeze
- 76%
- 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 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Santa Clara
In the 76% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at San Jose, CA see their last 32°F night by January 12; only one in ten is past it by December 20, and one in ten still has one after February 14. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 14 is under 8% and after January 12 38%. 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 22 in half of years, as early as December 1 one year in ten, and holds off past January 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 20% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 347 days in a typical year, longer than at 92% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 313 one year in ten. On average 3 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 31 days longer, to about February 12, and return around December 3. A 24°F night is unusual: 1% of winters had one.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Jan 11 | Jan 24 | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 12 | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 9 |
| 32°F76% of yrs | Dec 20 | Dec 28 | Dec 31 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 26 | Feb 2 | Feb 14 |
| 28°F20% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F99% of yrs | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 | Dec 31 |
| 32°F76% of yrs | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 | Dec 17 | Dec 22 | Dec 27 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 20 |
| 28°F20% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 24°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at San Jose, 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 95054 →Compare Santa Clara with another place →
Weather by month in Santa Clara
August is the warmest month at San Jose, CA, averaging 81°F by day and 59°F at night; December is the coldest at 60°F and 42°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 17% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,040 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 283 California stations. 39% of them (1,556) have built up by the end of June, and August adds the most, 620. Precipitation totals 13.6 inches a year, most in January (2.8") and least in July (0.0"); May to September bring 6% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 42 | 2.8 | 44% | 1 | 68 |
| Feb | 62 | 44 | 2.7 | 17% | <1 | 108 |
| Mar | 66 | 46 | 2.1 | 0% | 0 | 195 |
| Apr | 69 | 48 | 1.1 | 0% | 0 | 265 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 0.4 | 0% | 0 | 402 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 0.2 | 0% | 0 | 519 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 0.0 | 0% | 0 | 603 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 620 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 0.1 | 0% | 0 | 568 |
| Oct | 76 | 53 | 0.5 | 0% | 0 | 442 |
| Nov | 66 | 46 | 1.3 | 6% | <1 | 186 |
| Dec | 60 | 42 | 2.3 | 50% | 1 | 65 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at San Jose, CA (51 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, San Jose, CA, 4 miles southeast of Santa Clara, has a last frost 10 days earlier (January 2), a first frost 3 days later (December 25), a season 15 days longer.
When it snows in Santa Clara, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at San Jose, CA, 4.4 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 95054 is 3 miles from San Jose, CA, which stands at 51 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 6 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 95035 (Milpitas). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 95054 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.