Odessa, TX 79760 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Odessa, TX?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 03/15, about 199 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/12, about 242 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Odessa in Zone 8b (15 to 20°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
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Odessa 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
03/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Odessa compares
About 242 days separate Odessa's last and first frost, putting it 8,341 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within TX, it ranks 1,865 of 2,558.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Odessa can differ from the 79760 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Odessa's frost date answer different questions.