Fort Worth, TX Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

In a typical year the final freeze of spring reaches Fort Worth around March 5, and the first freeze of autumn returns around November 24. NOAA's normals call the frost-free stretch between them 264 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 25, and the early fall date, November 3, each of which one year in ten fails to beat. Against a median of 229 days for the 100 cities on these pages, Fort Worth has a season 35 days longer, 29th on the list.

The numbers belong to Ft Worth Meacham Field NAAF, NOAA station USW00093904, which sits 2.4 miles north of the Census Bureau's internal point for Fort Worth at an elevation of about 710 feet.

When is the last frost in Fort Worth?

One year in ten has a freeze on or after March 25. In nine years out of ten there is still a freeze on or after February 16, and half of years see one on or after March 5.

From the earliest date to the latest is 37 days, a middling band against the other 100 cities.

Fort Worth's first fall frost, by chance

Expect the first freeze of fall by November 24 in a typical year. One year in ten brings it by November 3, and nine in ten have had it by December 14.

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

The growing season in Fort Worth

A little more room than the middle of these pages, then, but not a different kind of garden. The gap between a typical year and a short one is 27 days, wider than for most cities on these pages. Count on 237 days, not 264 days, when a crop has little slack.

The season lengths come from NOAA's simulated years, not from subtracting one typical date from the other, so the two will not match to the day. A night at or below 32°F happens in 100% of years at this station, so frost is a yearly event here.

When a hard freeze reaches Fort Worth

The typical 28°F night comes on December 6 in fall, 12 days after the first 32°F frost, and the last one comes on February 22 in spring, 11 days before the last 32°F frost. The late 28°F spring date, March 12, is the one that still catches blooms and young transplants one year in ten, and the early fall date, November 13, is when a hard freeze has arrived in one fall out of ten.

Planting dates for Fort Worth, counted from the frost dates

In Fort Worth the University of New Hampshire Extension count lands like this, measured from the typical last frost on March 5: lettuce from February 5 to February 12, cabbage on February 5, seed potatoes from February 19 to February 26, then peppers on March 19 and beans from March 5. The University of New Hampshire Extension sheet gives peas no frost count at all; sow them as soon as the soil thaws.

From the late date, March 25, every tender crop moves back 20 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 Fort Worth 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, at 118 days, and it has to be planted by July 8 to beat the early date.

Worked example: the last day for fall broccoli in Fort Worth

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 Fort Worth the last planting day is August 18 against the typical first frost on November 24, and July 28 against the early date on November 3.

21 days separate the two last days, enough that in Fort Worth the earlier one is worth following.

In spring the same family goes in earlier: counting from March 5, University of New Hampshire Extension puts cabbage transplants out on February 5, weeks ahead of the last frost.

About the Ft Worth Meacham Field NAAF station

The nearest usable station stands 2.4 miles north of Fort Worth's internal point, near the city but not in it.

NOAA lists it at about 710 feet, higher than 55 and lower than 44 of the 100 stations in this set. NOAA flags this station's record as representative, the code R, for the data behind its 50% last-frost value.

Because the Census file has no elevation for Fort Worth, 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 Fort Worth's frost dates compare

Three cities on these pages lie within a hundred miles of Fort Worth, the nearest Arlington, TX at 14 miles, which makes the comparison below a close one.

• Arlington, TX lies 14 miles south-east of Fort Worth. Typical last frost March 9, first frost November 21, 256 days between; the last frost is 4 days later than in Fort Worth, and it has 8 days less without frost.
• Grand Prairie, TX lies 20 miles east of Fort Worth. Typical last frost March 20, first frost November 13, 236 days between; its last frost comes 15 days after Fort Worth's, and it has 28 days less without frost.
• Irving, TX lies 23 miles east of Fort Worth. Typical last frost March 8, first frost November 24, 262 days between; spring frost ends about when it does in Fort Worth, and the season is within about a week of Fort Worth's.

Next steps for Fort Worth 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 Fort Worth, and the hardiness zone lookup gives the winter-cold zone for your ZIP code.

Looking for another city? The city frost dates index lists every page, grouped by state.

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 Fort Worth on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 1,008,106 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. The methodology page explains how each figure is checked.

These dates describe odds over many years, not next week's weather. Look at the forecast before you plant, and keep a sheet or row cover ready for a night that does not follow the odds.