Chandler, AZ Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

Frost leaves Chandler on February 13 and comes back on December 5 when the odds are even, a window of 298 days for tender plants.

Because half of all years do worse than the typical date, the dates that matter for tender plants are the late spring date, March 9, and the early fall date, November 18, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. Compared with the 100-city median of 229 days, Chandler gets 69 days extra before frost returns.

NOAA measured them at Tempe Asu (station USC00028499), about 11 miles north of the Census Bureau's internal point for Chandler and about 1,150 feet above sea level.

When is the last frost in Chandler?

Frost is still possible on January 12 in nine springs out of ten and on February 13 in five; only one spring in ten sees a freeze as late as March 9.

The earliest and latest of these dates are 56 days apart, wider than for most of the 100 cities here. A freeze can still come 24 days after the typical date in Chandler, which is why the late date matters more here than in most places.

First fall frost in Chandler

NOAA's early fall date for Chandler is November 18, its even-odds date is December 5 and its late date is December 24; the first freeze has come by each of them in one, five and nine years out of ten.

36 days separate the early and late fall dates, a broad band compared with most cities here, so a fall crop in Chandler should be planned against the early date, not the typical one.

How long is the frost-free season in Chandler?

A season this much longer than the middle of the pack gives Chandler more days for slow crops, as the fall planting dates below show. A typical year gives 298 days, but nine years in ten still give at least 266 days; 32 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 Chandler.

These figures are NOAA's own counts of freeze-free days across its simulated years, which is why they can differ a little from the days between the two typical dates. At Tempe Asu a night at or below 32°F turns up in 99.7% of years, which means these dates apply every winter.

When a hard freeze reaches Chandler

Hard freezes are late to arrive in Chandler and early to leave: December 19 in fall, 14 days behind the first frost, and January 16 in spring, 28 days ahead of the last. At the edges, a 28°F night on or after February 19 happens one spring in ten and one by November 27 one fall in ten; the nine-in-ten dates are December 19 and January 19.

What this means for planting in Chandler

University of New Hampshire Extension sorts vegetables by how they cope with cold. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost: counting from February 13, cabbage transplants go in on January 16 and lettuce from January 16 to January 23. Tender crops wait until it has passed, with peppers going out on February 27 and beans sown on or after February 13. Peas have no frost-based date in the University of New Hampshire Extension sheet: they go in as soon as the soil thaws.

The late date, March 9, falls 24 days after the typical one, so counting from it pushes every tender crop back by more than three weeks. In Chandler that is a real choice between earlier planting with cover on hand and later planting with none.

Of the 34 crops in the fall planner, 33 still have a July-or-later last planting day in Chandler 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 1 do not. Of the crops that fit, bulb onions is the slowest: 138 days from planting to the early frost, which makes July 3 its last day.

Worked example: planting broccoli for fall in Chandler

Work through broccoli transplants for fall in Chandler. The longest days to harvest NC State Extension gives is 80 days, plus University of Georgia Extension's allowance of 18 days, for 98 days in all. Subtract that from the typical first frost on December 5 and the last day to plant is August 29; subtract it from the early date on November 18 and it is August 12.

17 days separate the two last days, enough that in Chandler the earlier one is worth following.

In spring the same family goes in earlier: counting from February 13, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on January 16, weeks ahead of the last frost.

The weather station behind these dates

The station lies 11 miles north of Chandler's internal point, farther than most on these pages, so treat its dates as a regional guide.

NOAA lists it at about 1,150 feet, higher than 73 and lower than 26 of the 100 stations in this set. In NOAA's file the record is marked R, meaning representative.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Chandler, 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.

Chandler compared with nearby cities

Three cities on these pages lie within a hundred miles of Chandler, the nearest Gilbert, AZ at 6.6 miles, which makes the comparison below a close one.

• Gilbert, AZ lies 6.6 miles east of Chandler. Typical last frost February 1, first frost December 11, 315 days between; its last frost comes 12 days before Chandler's, and it has 17 days more without frost.
• Mesa, AZ, 11 miles to the north-east: last frost February 1, first frost December 10, 312 days frost-free; spring frost ends 12 days sooner than in Chandler, and the season runs 14 days longer.
• Phoenix, AZ, 24 miles to the north-west: last frost January 8, first frost December 25, 354 days frost-free; its last frost comes 36 days before Chandler's, and it has 56 days more without frost.

Next steps for Chandler gardeners

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 Chandler, and the hardiness zone lookup gives the winter-cold zone for your ZIP code.

Every city covered is on the city frost dates index, sorted by state.

Where these numbers come from

Every frost and freeze date comes from the station's entry in NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020 (doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11), with no adjustment, and NOAA's documentation explains what each probability means. Chandler and its internal point are listed in the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer of places; its place in the ranking comes from the Vintage 2024 population estimates, which count 281,231 residents.

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.