NOAA station USC00419101 · Texas
Frost Dates for Town Bluff Dam, TX
NOAA weather station Town Bluff Dam (USC00419101), Texas · elevation 214 ft (65 m) · hardiness zone 9a*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter April 2only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostMarch 950% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostNovember 2250% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season258 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone9acalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | April 2 | November 1 |
| 50% (typical) | March 9 | November 22 |
| 90% (likely) | February 13 | December 11 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 258 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- February 19
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- December 7
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost March 5 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 20 (2 days earlier). Frost-free season 258 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | April 21 | January 2 |
| 2022 | March 13 | October 19 |
| 2023 | March 21 | November 2 |
| 2024 | February 20 | November 30 |
| 2025 | March 22 | November 11 |
| 2026 | March 18 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
Setting out tender crops on February 13 carries a 90 % chance of a frost later that season, a gamble for growers at Town Bluff Dam.
The cautious spring date is April 2, when only a 10 % chance of frost remains later, so most plantings wait until then. In fall the cautious date is November 1, with a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier, making it the preferred date to finish harvesting tender crops. The 50% date is March 9, meaning a 50 % chance of a frost later than this date, and the 50% date is November 22, meaning a 50 % chance of a frost earlier than this date. The 50% hard-frost dates are February 19 and December 7.
A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so the hard-frost dates represent a more critical threshold.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after April 2" 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
- Lufkin, TX 46 mi (74 km)
- Orange, TX 47 mi (76 km)
- Leesville, LA 61 mi (98 km)
- Nacogdoches, TX 63 mi (102 km)
- Center, TX 70 mi (113 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00419101
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00419101
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 9a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 30.7931, -94.1819.