Turlock, CA 95316 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Turlock, CA, ZIP 95316
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 01/06, roughly 131 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/20, about 351 frost-free days later.
Turlock sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 9b around Turlock has about 16 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 01/06 isn't a guarantee
01/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Turlock compares
Turlock's growing season runs about 351 days, ranking 2,296 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CA, it ranks 1,012 of 2,555.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Turlock can differ from the 95316 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9b and Turlock's frost date answer different questions.