FrostDateCheck

Shepherd, TX 77368 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Shepherd, TX, ZIP 77368

Zone 9a

Around 03/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 185 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/24, about 269 frost-free days later.

Shepherd sits in USDA Zone 9a (20 to 25°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 9a around Shepherd has about 13 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 03/01 isn't a guarantee

03/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Shepherd compares

About 269 days separate Shepherd's last and first frost, putting it 5,681 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within TX, it ranks 1,016 of 2,558.

Learn more

local microclimates explains what one yard in Shepherd can differ from the 77368 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9a and Shepherd's frost date answer different questions.