U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003951 · Texas

Frost Dates near Longview, TX

NOAA weather station Longview WSMO (USW00003951), Texas · elevation 407 ft (124 m) · hardiness zone 8b*

Longview is the nearest town to the station (11.7 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter March 30only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 1750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season250 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Longview, TXSpring: a frost after February 20 in 9 years out of 10, after March 11 in half of the years, after March 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 17 in half of the years, before December 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 250 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 11First frost ~Nov 17Frost season near Longview, TXSpring: a frost after February 20 in 9 years out of 10, after March 11 in half of the years, after March 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before November 1 in 1 year out of 10, before November 17 in half of the years, before December 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 250 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 11First frost ~Nov 17
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)March 30November 1
50% (typical)March 11November 17
90% (likely)February 20December 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
250 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
February 27
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
December 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 9 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 17. Frost-free season 253 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 near Longview: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% March 30, 20% March 24, 30% March 20, 40% March 15, 50% March 11, 60% March 7, 70% March 3, 80% February 27, 90% February 20. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2024 March 20.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Mar 30Mar 11Feb 202024: March 20Fall near Longview: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% November 1, 20% November 5, 30% November 9, 40% November 13, 50% November 17, 60% November 21, 70% November 25, 80% December 1, 90% December 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 December 12, 2022 October 20, 2024 November 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Nov 1Nov 17Dec 52021: December 122022: October 202024: November 29
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
2021incomplete recordDecember 12
2022incomplete recordOctober 20
2023incomplete recordincomplete record
2024March 20November 29
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

The 250 days between the 50% dates in the Longview area define the span in which most tender crops can be grown without a light frost interrupting. The 50% dates – March 11 in spring and November 17 in fall – mark the point where a light frost has an even chance of occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall).

For a cautious plan, the spring light-frost date to set out tender crops is March 30, which carries a 10 % chance of a later frost, while the fall cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is November 1, with a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier.

Hard frost at 28 °F matters more than a light frost at 32 °F because it can damage plants that would otherwise survive a light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after March 30" 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 November 1" 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 Longview, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Henderson, TX — 14 mi; 2 — Marshall, TX — 21 mi; 3 — Carthage, TX — 22 mi; 4 — Tyler, TX — 38 mi; 5 — Center, TX — 47 mi.LA25 mi · 40 km1. Henderson, TX — 14 mi12. Marshall, TX — 21 mi23. Carthage, TX — 22 mi34. Tyler, TX — 38 mi45. Center, TX — 47 mi5
  1. Henderson, TX 14 mi (23 km)
  2. Marshall, TX 21 mi (34 km)
  3. Carthage, TX 22 mi (36 km)
  4. Tyler, TX 38 mi (61 km)
  5. Center, TX 47 mi (76 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 32.35, -94.65.