Austin, TX Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

In a typical year the final freeze of spring reaches Austin around February 20, and the first freeze of autumn returns around December 3. NOAA's normals call the frost-free stretch between them 291 days long.

Because half of all years do worse than the typical date, the dates that matter for tender plants are the late spring date, March 14, and the early fall date, November 15, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. Against a median of 229 days for the 100 cities on these pages, Austin has a season 62 days longer, 25th on the list.

Behind every date on this page is one weather station, Austin-Camp Mabry (NOAA USW00013958), 1.6 miles north of Austin's internal point in the Census Bureau's files and about 670 feet up.

When is the last frost in Austin?

Frost is still possible on January 23 in nine springs out of ten and on February 20 in five; only one spring in ten sees a freeze as late as March 14.

The earliest and latest of these dates are 50 days apart, wider than for most of the 100 cities here. A freeze can still come 22 days after the typical date in Austin, which is why the late date matters more here than in most places.

Austin's first fall frost, by chance

Expect the first freeze of fall by December 3 in a typical year. One year in ten brings it by November 15, and nine in ten have had it by January 1.

The fall dates spread over 47 days, wider than for most cities on these pages. One year in ten brings the first freeze 18 days ahead of the typical date.

How long is the frost-free season in Austin?

Austin has far more frost-free days than the middle of these pages, and slow crops benefit most, as the planting dates below show. A typical year gives 291 days, but nine years in ten still give at least 258 days; 33 days separate the two, a larger swing than most cities here show, so a crop that needs the full typical season is a gamble in Austin.

NOAA counts these days from its own simulations, so they will not equal the number of days between the two typical dates exactly. At Austin-Camp Mabry a night at or below 32°F turns up in 99.4% of years, which means these dates apply every winter.

28°F dates in Austin

Light frost and hard freeze are well separated in Austin. In fall the typical 28°F night comes on December 27, 24 days after the first 32°F frost on December 3; in spring the last one comes on February 1, 19 days before the last 32°F frost. Crops that tolerate light frost have that stretch to themselves. One spring in ten still has a 28°F night on or after March 3, and one fall in ten sees the first by November 27.

What this means for planting in Austin

The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet times each crop from the last frost. For Austin's typical date, February 20, that means cabbage on January 23, lettuce from January 23 to January 30, seed potatoes from February 6 to February 13, and, once the frost is behind you, peppers on March 6 and beans on or after February 20. Peas are the exception to the count: University of New Hampshire Extension says to plant them as soon as the soil thaws, whatever the frost date.

From the late date, March 14, every tender crop moves back 22 days; that buys protection against a spring only one year in ten brings.

Of the 34 crops in the fall planner, 32 still have a July-or-later last planting day in Austin once NC State Extension's days to harvest and University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days are counted back from frost. The other 2 do not. The slowest crop that still fits is collard greens, which needs 118 days before the early first frost and so must be in by July 20.

Worked example: fall broccoli in Austin

Broccoli transplants need up to 80 days to reach harvest by NC State Extension's table, and University of Georgia Extension adds 18 days to harvest, so 98 days must pass before frost. In Austin the last planting day is August 27 against the typical first frost on December 3, and August 9 against the early date on November 15.

18 days separate the two last days, enough that in Austin the earlier one is worth following.

Spring is the other end of the same arithmetic: University of New Hampshire Extension sets cabbage-family transplants out two to four weeks before the last frost, which from February 20 puts cabbage out on January 23.

Where Austin's numbers are measured

At 1.6 miles north of the city's internal point, the station is very close to Austin.

At about 670 feet, it ranks above 50 and below 49 of the 100 stations used for these pages. NOAA flags this station's record as standard, the code S, for the data behind its 50% last-frost value.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Austin, we cannot say how far your yard is above or below this station. When yours is clearly higher or lower, open the nearby stations in the frost dates tool and favor the colder one.

How Austin's frost dates compare

The nearest city on these pages is San Antonio, TX, 74 miles away, and the other two below are farther out, so these are regional comparisons, not neighbors.

• San Antonio, TX lies 74 miles south-west of Austin. Typical last frost February 25, first frost November 28, 277 days between; spring frost lingers 5 days longer than in Austin, and it has 14 days less without frost.
• Houston, TX lies 146 miles east of Austin. Typical last frost February 2, first frost December 25, 327 days between; its last frost comes 18 days before Austin's, and it has 36 days more without frost.
• Arlington, TX lies 170 miles north of Austin. Typical last frost March 9, first frost November 21, 256 days between; the last frost is 17 days later than in Austin, and the frost-free season is 35 days shorter than Austin's.

Put the frost dates to work

To go beyond the crops above, use the spring planting planner and fall planting planner, both set to this station. The frost dates tool shows the full odds for Austin, and the hardiness zone lookup gives the winter-cold zone for your ZIP code.

All the cities on these pages are listed by state on the city frost dates index.

For Texas, the state planting pages copy the Extension calendar (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension) crop by crop and region by region: tomatoes in Texas, peppers in Texas, cucumbers in Texas, summer squash in Texas, green beans in Texas. Set those windows beside the frost dates above.

Where these numbers come from

NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11) supply every frost date here, unchanged from the station's record, and NOAA's documentation defines the probabilities. The Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer places Austin on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 993,588 people here, decide which cities get a page.

Planting dates here are those rules from University of New Hampshire Extension, NC State Extension and University of Georgia Extension, applied to this station's frost dates and nothing else. Our methodology describes the tests behind every number.

NOAA's dates say how often frost has come, not when it will. Check the forecast before planting and keep a cover on hand.