U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00415265 · Texas

Frost Dates for Littlefield, TX

NOAA weather station Littlefield (USC00415265), Texas · elevation 3466 ft (1056 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 28only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season192 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Littlefield, TXSpring: a frost after March 30 in 9 years out of 10, after April 14 in half of the years, after April 28 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 14First frost ~Oct 26Frost season at Littlefield, TXSpring: a frost after March 30 in 9 years out of 10, after April 14 in half of the years, after April 28 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 26 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 192 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 14First frost ~Oct 26
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 28October 15
50% (typical)April 14October 26
90% (likely)March 30November 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
192 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 4

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 17 (3 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 25 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 190 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 Littlefield: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 28, 20% April 24, 30% April 21, 40% April 18, 50% April 14, 60% April 11, 70% April 8, 80% April 4, 90% March 30. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 14, 2023 April 16, 2024 April 9, 2025 April 8, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 28Apr 14Mar 302021: April 222022: April 142023: April 162024: April 92025: April 82026: May 2Fall at Littlefield: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 15, 20% October 18, 30% October 21, 40% October 24, 50% October 26, 60% October 28, 70% October 31, 80% November 2, 90% November 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 16, 2022 October 25, 2023 October 29, 2024 October 31, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 15Oct 26Nov 62021: October 162022: October 252023: October 292024: October 312025: October 30
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. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 22October 16
2022April 14October 25
2023April 16October 29
2024April 9October 31
2025April 8October 30
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 192 days between the 50% dates in Littlefield mark the period where a light frost is equally likely to have occurred or not. The 50% spring date is April 14 and the 50% fall date is October 26; during this span a gardener can expect a balanced chance of light frosts, with the risk shifting from later-season to earlier-season as the dates pass.

To keep risk low, the cautious spring date for setting out tender crops is April 28, when there is only a 10% chance of a later light frost. In the fall the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 15, with only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 3 and November 4, and a hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 28" 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 15" 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 Littlefield, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Levelland, TX — 23 mi; 2 — Lubbock, TX — 30 mi; 3 — Morton, TX — 31 mi; 4 — Hart, TX — 36 mi; 5 — near Muleshoe, TX — 36 mi.TXNM25 mi · 40 km1. Levelland, TX — 23 mi12. Lubbock, TX — 30 mi23. Morton, TX — 31 mi34. Hart, TX — 36 mi45. near Muleshoe, TX — 36 mi5
  1. Levelland, TX 23 mi (37 km)
  2. Lubbock, TX 30 mi (48 km)
  3. Morton, TX 31 mi (49 km)
  4. Hart, TX 36 mi (57 km)
  5. near Muleshoe, TX 36 mi (58 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 33.8692, -102.2592.