Delano, CA 93261 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Delano, CA?
Around 01/31 is the usual last spring frost, about 156 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/08, about 309 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Delano 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
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Delano before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/31 isn't a guarantee
01/31 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Delano compares
About 309 days separate Delano's last and first frost, putting it 3,639 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CA, it ranks 1,490 of 2,555.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Delano's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Delano's dates instead of trusting one.