U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00023040 · Texas

Frost Dates near Wink, TX

NOAA weather station Winkler County Airport (USW00023040), Texas · elevation 2807 ft (856 m) · hardiness zone 8a*

Wink is the nearest town to the station (3.2 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 April 16only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMarch 2650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season222 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone8acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Wink, TXSpring: a frost after March 7 in 9 years out of 10, after March 26 in half of the years, after April 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 24 in 1 year out of 10, before November 6 in half of the years, before November 20 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 222 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Mar 26First frost ~Nov 6Frost season near Wink, TXSpring: a frost after March 7 in 9 years out of 10, after March 26 in half of the years, after April 16 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 24 in 1 year out of 10, before November 6 in half of the years, before November 20 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 222 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Mar 26First frost ~Nov 6
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 16October 24
50% (typical)March 26November 6
90% (likely)March 7November 20
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
222 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 10
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 16

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost March 28 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 6. Frost-free season 225 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 Wink: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 16, 20% April 9, 30% April 4, 40% March 31, 50% March 26, 60% March 22, 70% March 16, 80% March 12, 90% March 7. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 March 23, 2022 March 24, 2024 March 10.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Mar 1Apr 1Apr 16Mar 26Mar 72021: March 232022: March 242024: March 10Fall near Wink: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 24, 20% October 28, 30% November 1, 40% November 4, 50% November 6, 60% November 9, 70% November 12, 80% November 15, 90% November 20. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2022 November 12, 2023 October 31, 2024 November 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Dec 1Oct 24Nov 6Nov 202022: November 122023: October 312024: 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
2021March 23incomplete record
2022March 24November 12
2023incomplete recordOctober 31
2024March 10November 29
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026incomplete recordseason not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on March 7 in the Wink area is a gamble, because there is a 90% chance of a frost later than that date. The cautious spring date for planting tender crops is April 16, when only a 10% chance of a frost remains.

The 50% date in spring, March 26, carries a 50% chance of a frost later than this date, while the 50% date in fall, November 6, carries a 50% chance of a frost earlier than this date. Hard-frost thresholds (28 °F) have their own 50% dates—March 10 in spring and November 16 in fall—and a hard frost can injure plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F.

For harvesting tender crops, the cautious fall date is October 24, which has only a 10% chance that a frost has already arrived. The record spans 28 years and the two 32 °F 50% dates are 222 days apart.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 16" 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 24" 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 Wink, TXNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Waste Isolt'n Pilot Plant, NM — 54 mi; 2 — near Midland, TX — 60 mi; 3 — Carlsbad, NM — 71 mi; 4 — Carlsbad (Cavern City Airport), NM — 73 mi; 5 — McCamey, TX — 73 mi.TXNM25 mi · 40 km1. Waste Isolt'n Pilot Plant, NM — 54 mi12. near Midland, TX — 60 mi23. Carlsbad, NM — 71 mi34. Carlsbad (Cavern City Airport), NM — 73 mi45. McCamey, TX — 73 mi5
  1. Waste Isolt'n Pilot Plant, NM 54 mi (87 km)
  2. near Midland, TX 60 mi (97 km)
  3. Carlsbad, NM 71 mi (115 km)
  4. Carlsbad (Cavern City Airport), NM 73 mi (117 km)
  5. McCamey, TX 73 mi (118 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: 31.78, -103.2017.