Henderson, NV Frost Dates: Last Spring and First Fall Frost

The last spring frost in Henderson, NV comes on January 20 in a typical year, and the first fall frost follows on December 15, leaving a frost-free season of 333 days.

Even odds are a coin toss, so plan around the safer edges: one winter in ten still has a freeze on or after February 14, and one fall in ten has its first freeze by November 28. Henderson's season is 104 days longer than the 229 days median across the 100 cities on these pages, which puts it 8th for season length.

These dates come from the NOAA weather station Las Vegas McCarran AP (ID USW00023169), 8.8 miles north-west of the Census Bureau's internal point for Henderson, at about 2,150 feet above sea level.

Henderson's last spring frost, by chance

Frost is still possible on December 20 in nine winters out of ten and on January 20 in five; only one winter in ten sees a freeze as late as February 14.

There are 56 days between the early and late dates, a broader band than most cities on these pages show. In Henderson the typical date is a weaker promise than it looks.

First fall frost in Henderson

In Henderson the first freeze has arrived by November 28 in one fall out of ten, by December 15 in five, and by January 7 in nine.

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

How long is the frost-free season in Henderson?

With a season well beyond the middle of these pages, Henderson has days to spare for slow crops, as the planting dates below show. A typical year gives 333 days, but nine years in ten still give at least 299 days; 34 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 Henderson.

NOAA counts these days from its own simulations, so they will not equal the number of days between the two typical dates exactly. A night at or below 32°F turns up in 94.3% of years at Las Vegas McCarran AP, so frost is nearly a yearly event; in the other 5.7% winter passes without one.

Hard freeze dates for Henderson

Hard freezes are late to arrive in Henderson and early to leave: December 26 in fall, 11 days behind the first frost, and December 31 in spring, 20 days ahead of the last. The late 28°F spring date, January 29, is the one that still catches blooms and young transplants one year in ten, and the early fall date, December 6, is when a hard freeze has arrived in one fall out of ten.

Using Henderson's frost dates in the garden

In Henderson the University of New Hampshire Extension count lands like this, measured from the typical last frost on January 20: lettuce from December 23 to December 30, cabbage on December 23, seed potatoes from January 6 to January 13, then peppers on February 3 and beans from January 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.

The late date, February 14, falls 25 days after the typical one, so counting from it pushes every tender crop back by more than three weeks. In Henderson that is a real choice between earlier planting with cover on hand and later planting with none.

In Henderson the fall count works for every crop in the planner: NC State Extension's days to harvest, plus University of Georgia Extension's harvest allowance of 18 days, still leaves a last planting day in July or later for all 34. The slowest crop that still fits is parsnips, which needs 148 days before the early first frost and so must be in by July 3.

Worked example: fall broccoli in Henderson

Work through broccoli transplants for fall in Henderson. 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 15 and the last day to plant is September 8; subtract it from the early date on November 28 and it is August 22.

That is 17 days between the typical and the early schedule; broccoli planted on the later of them risks a frost before harvest in one fall out of ten.

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 January 20 puts cabbage out on December 23.

About the Las Vegas McCarran AP station

The station lies 8.8 miles north-west of Henderson's internal point, farther than most on these pages, so treat its dates as a regional guide.

Its elevation is about 2,150 feet. Of the 100 stations behind these pages, 13 sit higher and 86 lower. In NOAA's file the record is marked S, meaning standard.

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

The closest city on these pages is North Las Vegas, NV, 20 miles away. The next two are farther afield, so read them as a wider look at the region.

• North Las Vegas, NV (20 miles, north): the last frost is 12 days later than in Henderson, and it has 22 days less without frost. Its typical dates are February 1 and December 8, with 311 days frost-free.
• Las Vegas, NV (20 miles, north-west): its last frost comes 4 days after Henderson's, and it has 10 days less without frost. Its typical dates are January 24 and December 10, with 323 days frost-free.
• San Bernardino, CA (182 miles, south-west): its last frost comes 7 days after Henderson's, and the season is about the same length as Henderson's. Its typical dates are January 27 and December 19, with 329 days frost-free.

Take these dates further

The frost dates tool opens on this station and lists every probability date, not just the ones above. From there, the spring planting planner and fall planting planner turn the dates into crop lists for Henderson, and the hardiness zone lookup answers what will overwinter.

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

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 Henderson on the map, and its Vintage 2024 estimates, 350,039 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.

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