FrostDateCheck

Houston, TX 77220 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Houston, TX, ZIP 77220

Zone 9b

Around 02/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 169 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/09, about 300 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Houston in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 9b around Houston has about 15 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.

Why 02/13 isn't a guarantee

02/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Houston compares

Houston's growing season runs about 300 days, ranking 4,008 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within TX, it ranks 340 of 2,558.

Learn more

local microclimates explains what one yard in Houston can differ from the 77220 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9b and Houston's frost date answer different questions.