USDA Hardiness Zone 9b
Frost Dates for 95376 — Tracy, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Tracy Carbona, CA (135 ft), 5 miles southeast.
Updated
In Tracy, the last spring frost (32°F) is around February 25 in half of years and has passed by April 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 26, as early as November 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 272 days (NOAA, Tracy Carbona, CA).
- Last spring frost
- February 25
- First fall frost
- November 26
- Growing season
- 272 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- Rare
- Last snow
- Rare
- Winters with snow
- 0%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
0 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Tracy
Half of springs at Tracy Carbona, CA see their last 32°F night by February 25; only one in ten is past it by January 24, and one in ten still has one after April 6. Planting tender crops after March 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after March 28 20%, and after April 6 10%. The 40 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 85% 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 November 26 in half of years, as early as November 8 one year in ten, and holds off past December 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around December 11; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is February 21, 44 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 272 days in a typical year, shorter than at 54% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 306 days one year in ten and falls short of 228 one year in ten. On average 26 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 37 days longer, to about April 3, and return around November 12. Nights of 24°F, cold enough to damage hardier plants, come in 58% of winters and 16°F in 1%.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Feb 28 | Mar 11 | Mar 22 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 17 | Apr 23 |
| 32°F | Jan 24 | Feb 5 | Feb 12 | Feb 19 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 9 | Mar 28 | Apr 6 |
| 28°F95% of yrs | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 12 | Jan 18 | Jan 27 | Feb 2 | Feb 11 | Feb 21 |
| 24°F58% of yrs | Dec 16 | Dec 24 | Dec 28 | Dec 31 | Jan 3 | Jan 6 | Jan 11 | Jan 18 | Feb 4 |
| 20°F16% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 26 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 |
| 32°F | Nov 8 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 12 |
| 28°F95% of yrs | Nov 25 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 | Dec 27 | Jan 4 |
| 24°F58% of yrs | Dec 5 | Dec 12 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 | Dec 24 | Dec 29 | Jan 1 | Jan 6 | Jan 14 |
| 20°F16% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 16°F1% of yrs | too rare for a date | ||||||||
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Tracy Carbona, 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 95376 →Compare Tracy with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Tracy Pumping Plt, CA, 10 miles northwest of Tracy, has a last frost 37 days earlier (January 19), a first frost 14 days later (December 10), a season 58 days longer.
When it snows in Tracy, California
Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 22 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Tracy Carbona, CA, 5.3 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.
Planting calendar for 95376
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 17 – December 31 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 31 – January 14 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 28 – February 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 3 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| November 26 onward | Plant 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 95376 is 5 miles from Tracy Carbona, CA, which stands at 135 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 95376 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°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.