Waco, TX 76654 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waco, TX?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/09, roughly 193 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/20, about 256 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Waco, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 12 weeks of growing season left in Waco before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/09 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waco compares
Waco's growing season runs about 256 days, ranking 6,774 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TX, it ranks 1,464 of 2,558.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Waco can differ from the 76654 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Waco's frost date answer different questions.