NOAA station USC00415013 · Texas

Frost Dates for Lamesa, TX

NOAA weather station Lamesa 1 SSE (USC00415013), Texas · elevation 2965 ft (904 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 22only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season212 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Lamesa, TXSpring: a frost after March 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 15 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 212 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 4Frost season at Lamesa, TXSpring: a frost after March 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 22 in 1 year out of 10, before November 4 in half of the years, before November 15 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 212 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 4
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 22October 22
50% (typical)April 4November 4
90% (likely)March 16November 15
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
212 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 19
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 13

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 5 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 3 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 211 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Lamesa: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 22, 20% April 15, 30% April 10, 40% April 7, 50% April 4, 60% April 1, 70% March 28, 80% March 24, 90% March 16.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 22Apr 4Mar 16Fall at Lamesa: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 22, 20% October 27, 30% October 30, 40% November 1, 50% November 4, 60% November 6, 70% November 8, 80% November 11, 90% November 15.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 22Nov 4Nov 15
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there.

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in Lamesa is October 22, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived.

In spring the cautious light-frost date is April 22, the point at which tender crops can be set out with just a 10 % chance of frost later. The 50% light-frost date in spring is April 4, meaning a 50 % chance of a frost later than this date, and the 50% light-frost date in fall is November 4, meaning a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than this date. The median hard-frost dates are March 19 and November 13. The 90 % risk dates are March 16 for a gamble in spring and November 15 for a gamble in fall.

A hard frost at 28 °F is more damaging than a light frost at 32 °F because it can kill tissue that survives milder freezing.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 22" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 22" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Lamesa, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Brownfield, TX — 37 mi; 2 — near Midland, TX — 56 mi; 3 — Plains, TX — 60 mi; 4 — Levelland, TX — 62 mi; 5 — Lubbock, TX — 65 mi.NM50 mi · 80 km1. near Brownfield, TX — 37 mi12. near Midland, TX — 56 mi23. Plains, TX — 60 mi34. Levelland, TX — 62 mi45. Lubbock, TX — 65 mi5
  1. near Brownfield, TX 37 mi (60 km)
  2. near Midland, TX 56 mi (90 km)
  3. Plains, TX 60 mi (97 km)
  4. Levelland, TX 62 mi (100 km)
  5. Lubbock, TX 65 mi (104 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 8a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 32.7228, -101.9456.